Most public hospitals have failed to set up information centres on their premises, ignoring a recent circular from the Health Ministry that directed the hospitals to introduce the centres to make healthcare more easily available.
On May 7, a circular signed by Deputy Secretary (hospital) Md Abdul Malek directed all district, medical colleges, tertiary and specialised hospitals to introduce information centres at their respective premises within three days.
The circular, which was sent to 126 major public hospitals, also directed hospital authorities to upgrade the standard of health services, make medical care more easily available and provide treatment-related information to patients.
The ministry specifically directed hospital authorities to fulfil several conditions including submitting the names and designations of the information officers concerned and the centres’ phone numbers to the ministry. The hospitals were also told to put up signs on the hospital premises regarding the information centres as well as to publish advertisements on well-circulated dailies to create awareness about the centres.
Sources said so far, only a handful of the hospitals have carried out the ministry directives.
Seeking anonymity, several officials from the Health Ministry and the health directorate told the Dhaka Tribune that such emergency decisions were made only after untoward incidents, but were also soon forgotten until the recurrence of a similar event.
The sources also claimed that as the ministry directive was not carried out, the Directorate General of Health Services also issued a similar circular, signed by its Director-in-Charge (hospital and clinic) Dr ABM Abdul Hannan, on June 5 on its website.
Dr Hannan, who is also the DGHS director for medical education, said authorities were determined to introduce information centres, adding that any circular by the Health Ministry must be followed by the hospitals concerned. The directorate would carry out random inspections soon on whether the directive had been carried out properly by the hospitals, he added.
Officials from the ministry and the DGHS added that the authorities’ decision to launch information centres was prompted by several incidents of unrest among doctors, patients’ relatives, and journalists at Dhaka and Rajshahi Medical College Hospitals and the capital’s Birdem Hospital over alleged medical negligence, they added.
During the clashes, allegations were raised that the doctors were negligent in their duties and unable to inform patients about the correct medical status, while journalists also claimed that hospital authorities refused to disclose information to them.
The doctors, on the other hand, blamed journalists for violating rules to collect information and entering hospitals’ restricted areas without permission.
Several senior officials of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) and Swadhinata Chikitshak Parisad also told the Dhaka Tribune it was urgent to introduce information centres in hospitals to provide healthcare-related data and also to reduce misunderstanding between doctors, patients and journalists.
