Despite having online update facilities, a whopping 90% of 180 private hospitals including clinics and diagnostic centres in Khulna continue to operate without renewing their licences.
According to sources at Khulna Divisional Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), only a handful of 46 private clinics and 53 diagnostic centres updated their licences online.
Locals said the government has been losing tax money as the private clinics and diagnostic centres refrained from renewing their licences and have not been paying yearly fees to the government.
Dr Sabrina Snigdha, an official of Khulna civil surgeon’s office, said all the private hospitals and diagnostic centres are divided into three categories to renew their licence every year.
Clinics and diagnostic centres under category ‘A’ have to pay Tk50,000 every year while those institutions under ‘B’ category have to pay Tk35,000 and the last category ‘C’ requires Tk25,000 per year, continued Dr Snigdha.
The clinics and diagnostic centres owners were told to pay the yearly tax through Bangladesh Bank or Sonali Bank and submit the receipt online, she added.
“Only a few institutions maintain that procedure. Most of them do not renew their licence,” Dr Snigdha furthered.
She also informed that Khulna Divisional DGHS office does not have the list of private clinics & diagnostic centres so they cannot take any action against irregularities
“However, if Dhaka DGHS central office directs us to look into any specific organization, we can take actions after scrutinizing the organizational papers,” she added.
Among the most famous clinics and diagnostic centres without registrations and renewed licences in Khulna are: A Hossain Clinic & Diagnostic Centre, Abdullah Pathology in Shamshur Rahman road, Boyra Empathy Clinic, Empathy Diagnostic Centre, Labtech Diagnostic & Cell Path, I Pavilion & Faco Centre Eye Hospital, Samela Diagnostic Centre, Onkur Diagnostic Centre, National Diagnostic Centre in Khan Jahan Ali Road and Desh Diagnostic Centre at Babu Khan Road, according to Khulna DGHS office.
There are two more without updated papers: Health View Diagnostic Centre and Life Care Diagnostic Centre on Ahsan Ahmed road.
Seeking anonymity, an owner of a private diagnostic centre said owners are not renewing their licences as the fees have been increased five times.
The hospital owners are finding ways to escape paying tax in the absence of effective actions, he added.
Visiting some hospitals in the unregistered list, UNB, in one of the diagnostic centres, found some patients waiting for hours after doing x-rays because the x-ray image had to be printed out from another place.
Meanwhile, unqualified technicians were found in some diagnostic centres which also lack necessary equipment, waste management facilities, adequate nmber of doctors, certified nurses and other necessary staff
Locals wondered how these private hospitals got permission to operate from the DGHS as they do not have necessary equipment.
“We’ve already started drives against private hospitals and diagnostic centres and checking if they have valid documents,” said Dr Sujat Ahmed, Khulna Civil Surgeon.
“None will be spared if they lack necessary papers,” he added.
When asked about the hospitals which do not have renewed licences, to Khulna Division DGHS Director Dr Rashda Sultana, she said: “We’ve started taking actions against those.”
“We’ll seal off the private clinics and diagnostic centres if they are found without renewed licences,” she added.
Earlier on July 21, DGHS Director General Dr Abul Kalam Azad resigned amid criticisms over irregularities and mismanagement in the health sector.
Meanwhile, incidents of mismanagement and irregularities in the health sector got exposed when physicians of some government hospitals, including Mugda General Hospital, complained of receiving low-quality masks and protective equipment.
Issuance of fake Covid-19 certificates by some hospitals in Bangladesh triggered huge criticisms at home and abroad.
The scandal came to light with drives at Regent Hospital on July 6 and at the Regent Group head office. Subsequently other hospitals involved in the Covid-19 certificate scam were sealed off.
On the other hand, police on June 23, arrested six people, including JKG Healthcare’s chairman Dr Sabrina Sharmin Hussain in connection with a case filed over issuing fake Covid-19 certificates.
Later, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Faisal Al Islam, the managing director of Shahabuddin Medical College Hospital on charge of fraudulence and forging Covid-19 test reports.
Rab arrested these people after finding various irregularities, including unauthorised kits for Covid-19 test, providing fake test reports and having expired medicines.
