With about two months left before the end of this financial year, a section of contractors are busy trying to persuade the authorities of state-run hospitals to seek approval from the health ministry to purchase costly medical equipment using public money.
They have been requesting, and in some cases pressuring, the hospital authorities to send proposals to the ministry with lists of equipment – whether needed or not.
The contractors are also giving assurances that they will do all the hard work to get the funds sanctioned.
Furthermore, some have been flaunting “recommendations” from different influential people, including ministers, MPs and leaders of doctors’ associations, to secure work orders.
Some have even been offering hefty commissions to peddle their costly equipment.
This reporter recently witnessed a contractor trying to coax officials at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital to buy an advanced endoscopy machine, worth Tk7 crore, for the gastroenterology department.
“Sir, money will not be a problem. You just send the demand letter to the health ministry, we will manage the administrative approval and allocation of the money required,” said the contractor.
The contractor produced a letter from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) saying if the DMCH gets the “confocal laser endomicroscopy” machine, the money for it will be provided from a hospital service management plan.
The letter, dated April 7 and apparently written by ABM Abdul Hannan, DGHS director (hospital and clinic), advised the hospital authorities to follow its directive.
When asked about such a letter, Dr Musfiqur Rahman, deputy director of DMCH, claimed that the hospital will not buy any equipment that is of no use to general patients.
This reporter saw another letter from the neuro-surgery department requesting Tk1.5 crore to buy a high-tech machine for stem cell therapy to treat spinal cord injuries. At least two more such demand letters for costly medical equipment were sent to the DMCH authorities.
Seeking anonymity, several high officials of different government hospitals and medical institutes told the Dhaka Tribune that normally, it is difficult to get even small amounts of money sanctioned to buy essential equipment.
But surprisingly, towards the end of the financial year, which ends on June 30, both the health ministry and the directorate are ready to allocate funds for expensive medical equipment.
“It is nothing but a waste of public money,” one of them said.
The Dhaka Tribune obtained some copies of letters from contractors where either the ministry or the DGHS has given the go-ahead to hospital authorities to procure costly machines under different operation plans under a health, population and nutrition development programme.
It was learnt that last year, with just a few days to go before the end of the fiscal year, a group of politically connected people were pushing the DMCH to purchase a LASIK machine for treating myopia. The hospital, however, did not buy the equipment, which cost several crores of taka.
Several high officials of the National Heart Institute and Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital told the Dhaka Tribune that usually, the contractors start their lobbying at the end of June, but they began early this year.
The influx of contractors trying to get orders for different types of equipment from upazila health complexes and specialised hospitals, has increased recently at the ministry and the directorate.
Dr Rashid Mahbub, president of Health Rights Movement Bangladesh and ex-president of Bangladesh Medical Association, remarked that before buying any machine, one should consider its proper use, the infrastructure to set it up and the availability of trained technicians.
“But unfortunately, authorities at public hospitals do not consider such things, and buy equipment without proper planning. In most cases, the machines are bought to make money, rather than to help patients. A huge commission business is done centering these purchases,” the doctor claimed.
Recalling the example of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, popularly called PG Hospital, Dr Mahbub said they have a proper plan for buying equipment, thus, different machines are better utilised there than in any other public hospital.
“The government should consider how they could make the best use of public money,” he added.