To reiterate, our health care sector -- especially the private health care sector -- has been in dire need of change for a long time.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the recurring issue of dengue should have been enough to open our eyes to the many cracks in this sector. If that were not enough, the recent reports that the authorities have sealed off at least 63 unregistered clinics and diagnostics centres nationwide should be the ultimate wake-up call.
While it is good that the government is carrying out drives to verify the licenses of the wide array of medical care institutions, such a drive is not enough. For a sector rife with corruption, we need to think about our long-term approach.
As such, the recommendation by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) for the authorities to set up an oversight and monitoring body is a welcome and logical one, and should be the first of many steps to try and fix this sector.
Monitoring, controlling, and ensuring good governance in private medical services has been a requirement for too long, and it is a shame that we have continued to fail to address these issues. Reports of mismanagement and deaths in the private health care sector are rampant. The unprofessional conduct of staff and the setting up of medical institutions for the mere sake of profit has been another rot that has plagued this sector.
The authorities may be doing a fine job of bringing facilities like this to justice in recent times. However, we have to be pro-active. It is better to be safe than sorry.
As such, setting up a government body for the oversight of the private medical sector should be the utmost priority of our time. We have a long way to go ahead of us. Let’s take the first step.
