The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has suspended two doctors for their unauthorised absence in workstations.
The two suspended physicians are Dr Nasrin Sultana and Dr Elias Bin Akbar, both posted to the sub-health centres of Uthora and Dholia respectively under Valuka of Mymensingh district.
On the other hand the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has suspended MRM Barki, a sub-assistant community medical officer of Utholi sub-health center for the same reason.
The suspensions came after a high-powered inspection team directed by the Health Ministry found the physicians absent from their respective workstations at upazilla health complex, union sub-health centre and community clinic at Valuka of Mymensingh on Thursday.
The ministry asked the DGHS to increase inspection of the field-level health centres on a regular basis to make sure that healthcare staff were present in their respective workstations.
Preferring to be unnamed, several high-ups of the Health Ministry and the health directorate told the Dhaka Tribune Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself had given direction to the health secretary to send a high-powered team for a sudden inspection of those health centres.
A source said the premier was informed of anomalies in carrying out duties by some physicians and health staff at those health centres.
It was reported that the suspended health professionals paid a visit to their workstations once a month to just put their signature in the register.
Dr Shah Newaz, director (Administration) of the DGHS, confirmed suspensions of the three physicians.
He told the Dhaka Tribune a high-powered inspection team went to inspect those healthcare establishments at Valuka on Thursday and found the three absent.
The director said there were a lot of complaints against doctors, nurses and other health staff that they remained absent from their duty stations especially in rural areas.
While talking to this reporter yesterday Dr Shah Newaz said he would issue a notice to all divisional directors, district civil surgeons, upazila health and family welfare officers to increase monitoring and supervision to make sure that the health staff were present at their duty stations, otherwise actions would be taken against those high-ups.
Seeking anonymity, a member of the sudden inspection team told the Dhaka Tribune they reached the 50-bed upazila health complex at Valuka by 8am in Thursday morning and found all 28 doctors in the health care facility absent.
Even the upazila health and family planning officer was also absent.
After 9:30am doctors started coming to infirmary, he said, adding that most physicians were numbed when asked what time their office started.
From the Valuka upazila health complex, the supervision team went to the three union sub-health centres at Uthora, Dholia and Dakatia, and came across that all three doctors posted there were also absent.
Locals informed the team that they did not know who had been appointed to the health centres.
It was learnt that Dr Nasrin Sultana had been staying in her Banasri residence in the capital while the team went to her workstation at Uthora for inspection.
Dr Nasrin was also alleged to have been drawing salary without going to her duty station for the past three years.
Prof Dr Khondokar Md Sifayetullah, director general of DGHS, told the Dhaka Tribune, “We will conduct more sudden inspections very often and not show any mercy to whoever is found unauthorised absent from their duty stations.” L
