Twelve health officials, who allegedly used millions in taxpayers’ money to go abroad for training but left without finishing the programme, have evaded any punitive measures for over a year.
The authorities concerned have failed to take any action since a probe report was filed in March last year against the accused doctors, nurses and technicians who returned to Bangladesh without completing the 90-day training on bone marrow transplant (BMT) in Thailand.
Sources said under the in-service training operation plan 2011-2012, a 14-member team traveled to Thailand’s Eastern Asia University on August 26, 2012, to receive training on flow cytometry, stem cell counting and viability, clinical BMT, procedure protocol and follow-up complications.
The team included Dr Ismat Ara Begum of National Chest Disease Institute and Hospital, Dr Md Sirajul Islam of Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dr Md Habibur Rahman of Mymensing Medical College Hospital, Dr Tasnim Ara of Dhaka Medical College, Dr Marufa Akhter (OSD) of the DGHS, medical technicians Ashraful Islam, Al Farid, Mukul Haldar, Ayesha Akter, and nurses Sara Mukta Das, Monjuara Afroz, Nargis Akhter, Ruzi Khatun, and Jahida Akhter.
All the trainees – except for Dr Tasnim Ara and Dr Marufa Akter – returned to Bangladesh on October 26, one month prior to the end of the training programme.
On December 2012, the health ministry formed a three-member probe committee, headed by the then deputy director (discipline) Dr Md Abdur Rakib of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), following a letter of allegation sent by the dean of School of Public Health in Eastern Asia University to the health secretary.
The committee submitted its report on March 10 last year before the ministry.
The Dhaka Tribune has acquired a copy of the report, which says those who returned early could not present any valid reason for their decision to quit the training prematurely.
However, the accused health officials told the probe committee that the Eastern Asia University lacked any BMT centre, or a hematology department or even a faculty of medicine. The officials also claimed that they had to face poor accommodation arrangements and subpar behaviour by the training coordinator.
One of the two doctors who completed the training also told the probe committee that the overall training programme was substandard.
DGHS Director (administration) Dr Shah Newaz told the Dhaka Tribune that he did not know whether any action had been taken against the accused after the probe report was submitted to the ministry about a year ago.
Dr Ruhul Forkan Siddique, DGHS coordinator for foreign training, claimed that the arrangements of the training were proper, but the participants returned to Bangladesh without informing the authorities concerned.
Dr Bayezid Khurshed Riaz, project director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital-2, said the health officials in question had violated the rules of public job, as they could not quit the programme halfway without informing the ministry. The trainees returned early to spend Eid with their families, he added.
Seeking anonymity, a senior official of the health ministry told the Dhaka Tribune that the alleged doctors, nurses and technicians would have to return Tk20 lakh as compensation for wasting public money.