The shortage of beds at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) has been forcing patients to wait for their turns at treatment, while also allowing unscrupulous hospital officials to make extra cash on the side.
Nargis Begum, 48, has been suffering from liver-related complications for the past five years and had sought medical attention from different public hospitals during the time. However, after her complications intensified recently, Nargis visited doctors at the outdoor section of the BSMMU.
After a primary check-up, the doctors advised her to immediately admit herself to the hospital, but Nargis was unable to do so because the departments concerned did not have any vacant beds.
Over the last 10 days, she had visited the hospital three times only to get a seal reading “bed is not available” stamped on her hospital ticket every time.
On Thursday, Nargis Begum told the Dhaka Tribune: “Allah knows when I can get a vacant bed. I cannot tolerate the pain in my liver.”
Nargis’s agonising experience is common among the thousands of outdoor patients at the BSMMU who have to endure long waits to receive treatment.
More than 2,500 patients come to the outdoor section of the country’s lone medical university hospital every day. Among them, only 100 patients get the chance to be admitted each day at the indoor section of the 1,500-bed hospital.
In 2013, the BSMMU sold 713,300 tickets for the outdoor section, while only 29,499 patients were admitted at the indoor section of the hospital.
Hospital sources said 32,893 major and minor operations had been carried out at the BSMMU last year, of which 19,100 were major and 20,893 were minor operations.
Several senior officials of the hospital said the BSMMU has achieved the trust of the patients by offering quality healthcare advice from specialised doctors for a fee of only Tk30.
The affordable service has made the BSMMU a prime choice for patients, with the growing numbers of patients making vacant beds in the hospital similar to “golden deer,” the officials added.
Meanwhile, the shortage of beds is being exploited by a number of unscrupulous hospital employees who allegedly charge patients extra fees to have their beds “managed.”
Once the extra fee is collected from those willing to resort to illicit methods, the dishonest staff members reportedly introduce the patients to the doctors as their relatives and request that they be admitted to the indoor of the BSMMU.
Prof Dr Sayedur Rahaman, registrar of the BSMMU, told the Dhaka Tribune that the BSMMU was not like other public hospitals.
“This is a research oriented hospital. Naturally, it will not admit a large number of patients. It will deal with a limited number of patients to ensure research-based high quality treatment,” he said.
Dr Sayedur also said the BSMMU authority carries out an evening specialised consultation service at the hospital to provide better care to additional patients.
Since the service which has a consultation fee of Tk200 was introduced in October 2011, thousands of patients have sought medical advice from the specialised doctors.