Patients admitted to the 500-bed Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) and their attendants have become hostages to a syndicate of middlemen of private clinics and labs while the hospital is overburdened with patients three times its capacity.
A total of 1,556 patients were admitted to the hospital on Saturday, creating immense pressure on the hospital, which lacks adequate pathological facilities and nursing services. Many patients are kept on the floor in different wards and corridors.
Resident Medical Officer Dr Suhash Ranjan Halder admitted the situation and said that despite this, a record number of patients were admitted to the hospital.
Cashing on the opportunity, the syndicate of middlemen started collecting pathological samples from patients at different wards to run them at labs outside, charging them extra for the service.
Previously, patients at the hospital complained of middlemen dragging them to clinics outside the hospital premises, promising better service. But now the middlemen are competing among themselves to collect samples.
Moreover, there is an immense shortage of manpower at the hospital.
Jharna Begum, the wife of a patient admitted to the hospital, said that they are being charged Tk200-300 for a wheelchair service, which is free at the hospital.
Dhaka TribuneAnother attendant complained that middlemen and medical representatives of different private companies now loiter around the lobbies of the hospital at all times.
Khulna Medical College Vice Principal Dr Md Mehdi Newaz said that the hospital is serving three to four times more patients than it can accommodate. Additionally, up to 1,500 patients come to the outdoor facility every day. “Therefore, we are finding it hard to give proper services to the patients.”
Dr Mehedi is also the general secretary of the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Khulna unit.
The hospital director, Dr Rabiul Hasan, said that there is no shortage of doctors at his hospital.
He came across complaints of patients being charged for discharge papers and other facilities that are free of charge at the KMCH. “We are trying to bring discipline to different units of the hospital in order to serve the patients better.”
He added that since the number of patients is high, workers are finding it hard to keep the facility clean.
