Behind every successful hospital, there is a team of dedicated and qualified staff who work around the clock to ensure that the patients receive the highest level of healthcare possible. But the absence of proper manpower, unethical deeds, and ignorance to rules have turned the management of the DMCH – one of the biggest hospitals in the country – into a house of cards.
Hundreds of unauthorised people who are not legally employed by the DMCH authority run most of the groundwork at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, while their contribution in serving the patients – although unethical – is so great that their removal risks triggering a “collapse” of the hospital’s management. Many of the fourth class employees also violate hospital rules and charge patients for different services, disrupting the hierarchy of the DMCH administration.
However, one of the major flaws in hospital management is the lack of adequate number of ward masters; the DMCH has only two permanent ward masters for its 2,450-bed facility.
Although the DMCH currently has four allotted positions of ward master, two of those posts have stayed vacant for many years. To help run hospital tasks smoothly, the DMCH authority has also given temporary appointment to four more ward masters, in addition to the permanent two – Abdul Gafur and Babul Mia.
The ward master’s job responsibilities include taking care of the patients, ensuring the supply of medicine, medical equipment and accessories, providing assistance to senior doctors and ensuring cleanliness of the hospital.
On an average, around 3,000 patients and a similar number of their relatives stay at the 70 wards and 130 cabins in the DMCH, while around 4,000 to 5,000 patients come to the outdoor of the hospital to seek treatment.
Among the four ward masters currently working on a temporary basis, Abul Hossain and Jillur Rahman are office assistants taking on the additional responsibilities of being ward masters; the other two – Shamsul Alam and Abdul Aziz – are fourth-class employees.
Hospital sources told the Dhaka Tribune that most fourth-class employees did not follow the directives issued by the ward masters, as two of those posts were filled by their colleagues of a similar rank. This causes further mismanagement and results in sufferings for the patients, they added.
Several senior officials of the hospital also claimed to the Dhaka Tribune that the mismanagement was compounded by the negligence of the Ansar personnel, who are assigned to ensure the security and safety inside the hospital. Different kinds of medicine, valuable medical equipment and even newborn babies are often stolen allegedly in plain view of law enforcement personnel and under the noses of closed-circuit camera staff.
On August 23, the DMCH authority sent a letter to the platoon commander of the Ansar camp at the hospital, seeking explanation regarding the different incidents of stealing taking place inside the hospital premises. The move came after a two-day-old child was reportedly stolen from the neonatal ward of the DMCH.
The curse of special employees
Another key factor that challenges the hospital administration is the group of “special employees,” who are not legally appointed by the DMCH but are allegedly assigned to carry out different hospital tasks by influential officials.
These “special employees” reportedly charge patients for extra money for providing any small service. Since they are not officially recruited by the hospital authority, they also often demonstrate a lack respect to the patients.
The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that most of these employees, better known as special ward boys or ayas, have been recruited by leaders of fourth-class employees, ward masters, or sardars. In exchange for being allowed to work inside the hospital, the ward boys or ayas have to pay a certain amount of money to their employers every day.
A large number of these unofficial employees are reportedly family members, relatives or friends of the present and past fourth-class employees’ leaders.
The mode of payment depends on where they work; in a normal ward, each employee has to pay Tk50-Tk100 daily, while the rate is Tk200-Tk500 in areas like the emergency ward, gynaecology ward, ICU, CCU, pathology, medicine or burn unit.
However, when asked about allegations of taking money, Ward Master Jillur Rahman denied the claims and told the Dhaka Tribune that the unauthorised employees worked on verbal permission from the hospital authority as there was a shortage of fourth-class employees at the hospital.
Abdul Khalek, president of DMCH Fourth Class Employees’ Association, also denied allegations of collecting any money, but admitted that some of his poor relatives worked at the DMCH as “special employees.” These employees did not forcibly take money from any patient, he claimed.
Meanwhile, DMCH Director Brig Gen Dr Mustafizur Rahman admitted that the unauthorised employees charged patients for different services as they were not paid by the hospital.
“We know this is unethical, but we cannot take any action against them because they are not government employees. Not allowing them to work could result in the collapse of the hospital’s system,” he added.
No uniform to identify fourth-class employee
Although it is easy to identify doctors at the DMCH by their white apron, it is not possible to recognise the fourth-class employees as they ignore wearing the uniform that are assigned for them.
Every year, the hospital authority provides money to each fourth-class employee for buying three sets of uniform for summer, one set for winter, three sets of shoes, one umbrella and one cap.
Even though all the employees collect the money allotted for their uniforms, nobody wears it.
Several senior doctor and nurses told the Dhaka Tribune that compelling the employees to wear the uniform would decrease corruption as they would be easily identified.
