The High Court has asked Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to inform it about the steps taken to stop taking of excessive fees for dengue tests.
The bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahsan and Justice KM Kamrul Quader passed the order on Thursday,
Expressing concern over charging extra fees for dengue tests at private hospitals and clinics across Bangladesh, the court said the fees should be within a reasonable range.
It added that the amount of fees may vary slightly from one hospital to another but there should not be any wide gap in charging fees.
Deputy Attorney General Barrister Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar said private hospitals and clinics must not be like Five Star hotels. “The fees must be kept within a tolerable level.”
The court came up with the order on its own motion taking cognizance of a newspaper report over charging extra fees for dengue tests at private hospitals and clinics.
Another High Court bench of Justice Tariq-ul-Hakim and Justice Md Shohrowardi on the same day dubbed the existing dengue scenario in Bangladesh worrying.
The bench also asked chief health officers of Dhaka North and South City Corporations to bring effective insecticides within July 30, to stop the spread of Aedes mosquitoes and the dengue virus.
Meanwhile, Local Government Division (LGD) Minister Md Tazul on Thursday claimed that the dengue situation is under control.
“We have taken it as a challenge and it [dengue] is fully under control … because all the agencies are working together,” he said after launching cleanliness and anti-mosquito week in Dhaka.
