Many private clinics and diagnostic centres in Chattogram have been hiring unregistered nurses, disregarding The Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Laboratories (Regulation) Ordinance, 1982.

The Chattogram Civil Surgeon's Office revealed this finding following a series of drives conducted in January and February this year.

During the drives, some 15 private clinics and diagnostic centres were temporarily closed for violating the rule, while some 40 others were warned and directed for taking corrective measures, according to sources at the civil surgeon's office.

Of the 15 closed, four were in the port city, five in Banshkhali and Raozan upazilas each, and one in Fatikchhari upazila.

During a drive on February 27, authorities of Innova Hospital and Metropolitan Hospital got warnings after unregistered nurses were found working there, said the sources.

On that drive, the civil surgeon fined Max Hospital Tk 1 lakh, National Hospital Tk 1 lakh, Surgiscope Hospital Tk 15,000, Delta Healthcare Tk 5,000 and Ekushey Hospital Tk 5,000 over different irregularities.

In another drive on March 4, Central City Hospital was closed as the hospital did not have an adequate number of registered doctors and nurses.

On August 19, students of different nursing institutions in Chattogram lodged a complaint with the district civil surgeon against different private clinics that have been running with unregistered nurses. They also submitted a memorandum to the civil surgeon to conduct drives to the clinics.

Dr Ilias Chowdhury, the then civil surgeon of Chattogram, visited the port city's Metropolitan Hospital on the same day accompanied by students, and found unregistered nurses working there.

"I wrote to the Director General (Hospital and Clinic) of the Directorate General of Health Services on August 19 seeking permission to conduct drives in private clinics," Dr Ilias said.

Contacted, Dr Jahangir Alam, incumbent civil surgeon of Chattogram, said they are yet to get any response from DGHS.

"However, such drives are routine work to identify fake doctors and nurses, and clinics running without licenses. We are now engaged in a HPV vaccine campaign for girls, so we cannot conduct drives at this moment, but will do so from next month," he said.

Under Section 21 of the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council Act, 2016, practising nursing, midwifery, or allied professions without registration is punishable by up to three years in jail, a Tk 1 lakh fine, or both.

There are 150 registered private clinics and diagnostic centres in the district, including 90 in the port city and 60 in 15 upazilas.

However, according to locals and sources in health services, around 400 private clinics and diagnostic centres have mushroomed in the district over the past four decades, including around 250 in the port city alone.

This means many private clinics and diagnostic centres are running without valid license and registration.

Dr Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, managing director of Parkview Hospital Private Limited, said there is a crisis for nurses in the country and hence many clinics are compelled to employ unregistered nurses.

He, however, claimed that those unregistered nurses are not untrained.

"They pass HSC and get training in hospitals before joining the profession as full-time nurses," he added.