The proposed Dhaka City Corporation Medical College and Hospital (DCCMCH) is facing uncertainty as a result of the city corporation's failure to take necessary steps and strict requirements imposed by the Medical Education of Health Directorate of the health and family welfare ministry.
The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) wants to upgrade its three hospitals at different locations in the capital to a medical college and hospital. The DSCC aims to, by this measure, increase its financial income needed for improving the quality of services provided in its hospitals.
The DSCC's three hospitals "the 50-bed Dhaka Mohanagor General Hospital at Naya Bazaar, the 31-bed Nazira Bazaar Maternity Centre and the 100-bed Dhaka Mohanagor Shishu Hospital at Chackbazar" are unable to provide sufficient medical services to the people due to a shortage of doctors and nurses, insufficient medical equipment and inadequate infrastructure.
That is why the authorities concerned decided to make these hospitals a private medical college and hospital. The Ministry of Local Government Rural Development (LGRD) approved the move in 2006, said DSCC officials.
Ansar Ali, chief executive officer of the DSCC said: "We have got the approval from the LGRD ministry, and are waiting for the approval of the health ministry."
"We applied to the Medical Education of Health Directorate for the approval of the Dhaka City Corporation Medical College and Hospital. But I do not know why the directorate is delaying to give permission," he said. The corporation's Chief Health Officer Brigadier General M Abdullah-Al-Harun said: "Though the three hospitals are established in different locations, it will not create any problem for academic and health services. The main campus will be at the Mohanagor General Hospital."
According to the rule for applying for a private medical college and hospital, the applying hospital should have at least 250 beds and a sufficient number of other establishments.
However, none of the three hospitals of the DSCC are able to meet these requirements. As a result, the authorities decided to merge the three hospitals to form one private medical college.
Sources said at first, the authorities only applied for the Dhaka Mohanagor General Hospital.
ABM Abdul Hannan, director of the Medical Education of Health Directorate and chief of the private medical college approval committee, said: "A few months ago, the DSCC applied for the approval of a medical college, but it was not the appropriate way. They need to apply to the Ministry of Health first."
"We have no right to give approval without the permission of the ministry. After the ministry's permission, if we are satisfied with the hospital's infrastructure, we will approve it," he said.
When contacted, Motiur Rahman, joint secretary to the health ministry (medical education), said: "The DSCC authorities did not send any proposal for converting its hospitals into a medical college."
"If they send a proposal, the ministry will make the final decision in this regard," he said.
Meanwhile, at the hospitals, there remains an acute shortage of facilities and patients and their attendants have to wait for long periods of time for treatment due to the lack of doctors.
A Dhaka Mohanagar Shishu Hospital employee said there was insufficient medical equipment in the hospital.