Bangladesh private sector health workers face tough times as hospital authorities have decided to cut salaries claiming to offset the economic losses during the coronavirus crisis.
Up to 40% salary will be deducted from the account of the senior healthcare professionals for the month of April, while there will be no festival allowances for any, according to a decision taken by Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA).
However, claiming those professionals as solvent, the association said that theirsalaries are getting deducted as they are not involved in any service right now.
The executive committee of the association, in an emergency meeting held on May 2, made the decision amid the financial crisis faced by all private medical colleges and hospitals across Bangladesh for the covid-19 situation.
In a letter sent to chairman, managing directors or directors of all the medical colleges and hospitals, the association said the decision will be effective for the salary of the month of April which will be disbursed in May.
The letter was jointly signed by BPMCA President MA Mubin Khan and General Secretary Dr M Enamur Rahman, also the state minister for disaster management and relief.
The decision came at a time when more and more report of private sector doctors and nurses getting infected, while dealing with Covid-19 suspects, are coming to the media.
Several doctors and healthcare professionals of Anwar Khan Modern Hospital, Evercare Hospital (formerly Apollo Dhaka) and Delta Medical College and Hospital have gotten infected with Covid-19 while providing medical care to patients and a good number of their staff have also been sent to quarantine.
Only the doctors and healthcare staff of private medical colleges and hospitals, who continuously worked for 24-hours in each day of duty, will be eligible to get the full salary for the month of April, according to the letter.
Professor, associate professor, assistant professor and lecturers will get 60% of their salary for April while only third-and fourth-class employees will get their full salary.
The staff of private medical colleges, who remain absent on duty because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will get 60% of their salary, it said.
There will be no festival bonus for the teachers, doctors and staff of private medical colleges, registered with the association.
Despite repeated attempts, the minister could not be reached over the phone.
Meanwhile the forum’s president MA Mubin Khan said: “Our decision to deduct the salary will be applicableto some 10% to 20% professors, who are very solventand also have a handsome income through their practice inprivate chambers. We had discussions with them and they are okay with it.”
“Without giving any effort, those doctors will bepaid 60% of their salary during this crisis. Neither have we asked them about (leaving) the job, nor arewe keeping them fully unpaid,” he added.
They could not pressurise the students and withdraw tuition fees from them as all medical colleges are shut down, he claimed.
“There is no festival as shops are shut down, and businesses have come to a standstill. People cannot leave their homes. Where is the festival?” he questioned back when asked about the bonus.
MA Mubin also said: “A few people are trying to destabilize the situation by provoking the issue. When the crisis due to the pandemic will be mitigated, everything will be alright”
“Addressing the health education secretary,15 days ago,we gave a written application to allow us incentives from government emergency package. However, according to the Bangladesh Bank andbanks concerned to us, we are not enlisted,” the forum’s president added.
MA Mubin is expecting to get enlistedso as to receive the incentiveand saidthere is an ongoing discussion with the authorities over this matter.
Fewer patients at hospitals
Private hospitals have been seeing a sharp decline in the number of patients coming in for treatment for over a month now.
Hospital officials said the number plunged to more than half in comparison to figures on a normal day.
They said most patients, except those who are suffering from severe illnesses, are not willing to come to the hospitals due to the shortage of transport amid the government-enforced shutdown, as well as fearing Covid-19 transmission.
The government has so far allowed four private hospitals - Evercare Hospital, formerly known as Apollo Hospitals, Square Hospitals and United Hospital in Dhaka and Gazi Covid-19 Real Time PCR Test Lab at US-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Rupganj of Narayanganj to perform Covid-19 tests.
Ibn Sina Medical College Hospital and Labaid Specialized Hospital, both in Dhaka, also applied to Directorate General of Health Services to be allowed to test samples of suspects.
Till now, Bangladesh has reported 177 deaths and 9,455 cases of Covid-19.
The fast spreading coronavirus, which was first reported in China’s Wuhan, has claimed more than 248,280 lives and infected more than 3,566,000 people globally, according to Worldometer.
As many as 1,154,014people have recovered from Covid-19, which has spread to 210 countries and territories across the planet.
