The government will take action against unlicensed healthcare facilities in the country, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Wednesday.
He said the government was conducting drives against unauthorized clinics, diagnostic centers and private hospitals with the aim of improving the standard of healthcare services.
"There are 11,000 diagnostic centres in the country....we are conducting drives against illegal diagnostic centers to avert victimization and harassment of people seeking healthcare facilities," he told a discussion at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the capital.
Maleque said both public and private hospitals were playing an important role in providing treatment facilities to people.
On May 26, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued a notification ordering a sealing of all unauthorized clinics and diagnostic centers across the country within 72 hours.
The health authorities said legal action would be taken against persons involved in illegally running diagnostic centers and clinics.
TIB: Ongoing drives positive but not enough
The ongoing drives against unauthorized private hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres and other outfits are positive but not enough, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said yesterday.
The anti-corruption watchdog said that to get sustainable benefits, the long-awaited draft act to control and monitor the private healthcare sector needed to be implemented soon after its enactment.
"The submission of a large number of applications on one day of the drives proves the huge absence of monitoring. Given that reality, it is questionable how much impact the drives will have," said Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, in a press release.
File photo shows Health Minister Zahid Maleque addressing a seminar at the Mugda Medical College Hospital in Dhaka PIDDrives continue
The health authorities of the country shut down and imposed fines on a number of unauthorized private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres in several districts on Tuesday as part of its plan to strengthen supervision and ensure improved facilities.
At least 13 hospitals and testing labs were sealed off in Brahmanbaria, Bandarban and Mymensingh districts during the drives, led by health services officials and magistrates.
From May 27 till Monday, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) took action against over 1,300 health facilities across the country.
The consumer rights authorities also raided facilities on May 29-30 and slapped fines on hospitals and pharmacies over irregularities in them.
On Monday, the health authorities said that the closed hospitals and labs would be able to reopen once they met the conditions set by the government.
Bangladesh a role model in containing Covid
The health minister yesterday said Bangladesh had become a role model in controlling coronavirus as the country successfully handled three waves of the deadly virus.
"When almost the entire world was struggling to combat the lethal virus...we took multiple measures under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to protect the lives of the people from the disease," he said. "Bangladesh has so far administered nearly 26 crore doses of vaccines."
He attributed the tackling of the third wave of Covid-19 that hit Bangladesh mid-January this year to the expansion of vaccination coverage, including booster doses.
