The health ministry has taken some 22 special steps to prevent corruption and irregularities in the health sector, sources in the ministry said.
As the government is working relentlessly in line with zero tolerance policy against corruption and irregularities, none of the offenders would be spared, officials of the ministry said.
Against the backdrop of allegation of corruption, irregularities and mismanagement by a section of officials including physicians and employees of the health sector, the government has vowed to take a tough stance against the culprits, officials of the ministry said.
The special steps include addressing the problems faced by patients in the hands of brokers in most of the city public hospitals, shutting down unauthorized private clinics and diagnostic centers and illegal drugs factories, prevention of irregularities in the process of transferring doctors and allocating their hospitals duties.
The measures also include fixing fees of medical practitioners charging at their private chambers and clinics, prohibiting acceptance of ‘gifts’ from different pharmaceutical representatives and referring patients to different private diagnostic centres and clinics and indulging into profit-sharing business in the name of treatment.
Such drastic steps follow some recent disgraceful incidents like the case of JKG and Regent Hospital and irregularities in the procurement process of medical equipment and corruption by the officials and employees in the health sector.
According to sources, in the wake of such incidents, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had formed an 'Institutional Team related to the Department of Health' to take effective steps to curb corruption in this sector.
The team conducted various enquires and investigations into the health sector, including hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres.
Later, the committee made several recommendations to prevent corruptions, irregularities and bring about discipline in the operations and administrations of the health sector.
The sources also said recently, the Health Ministry held a meeting in this regard. Chaired by Health Secretary Abdul Mannan, the meeting discussed the recommendations made by the ACC and decided to adopt and implement 22 steps.
At the meeting, Health Secretary mentioned various types of irregularities and corruption in the health sector. These must be closely monitored and separate policies would have to be formulated.
Official sources said that the meeting decided to form a team to monitor activities by the organised brokers in public hospitals and the team will take legal actions against them.
At the meeting, the health secretary also mentioned that many contractors are taking large amount of money from different people in the name of giving jobs or to make jobs permanent. Legal action will have to be taken against these contractors.
The meeting also decided to formulate policies regarding running the affairs of all the private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres.
It said in order to restore order in the healthcare sector, the mashroom growth of clinics or diagnostic centres everywhere should be stopped.
The meeting also decided to make it mandatory to have skilled technicians before setting up clinics and diagnostic centres and approval of the Department of Health.
The meeting also decided to shut down illegal and adulterated drugs factories spread across the country.
The health secretary wanted the immediate closure of such factories. He asked to intensify surveillance and instructed to identify the factories and seal them off immediately. After sealing off these factories, owners and employees of the factories must be brought to book, he said.
The meeting decided to formulate specific policies on the transfer of doctors. According to the policy, professional duties or services of doctors in each station will be made compulsory.
At the upazila level, it is being made compulsory for doctors to work for at least two years. Doctors defying this order will not be allowed for higher education.
At the same time, it has been decided to increase the internship tenure from one year to two years. It has also been decided to have a specific policy on charging fees of doctors at private chambers. The policy will consider the financial status of patients and the degree of physicians.
Doctors’ prescriptions will have to be clean, readable and it will be mandatory to mention the generic name of the drug in the prescription.
The office of the Directorate of Health will issue an order in this regard soon. Initiatives are being taken to stop receiving gifts by doctors from pharmaceutical companies or representatives. Representatives of the pharmaceutical companies will also be barred from entering the hospitals.
At the meeting, the health secretary said doctors would not be allowed to recommend specific labs or diagnostic centres for pathological test.
The Department of Health is working on a guideline to prevent doctors from doing this. These guidelines will be sent to physicians.
Rashid-e-Mahboob, former president of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) said that only issuing of an order to stop corruption will not fix everything.
It requires new manpower, technology and funding. Most important is the supervision of the implementation of the initiatives. Otherwise everything will go in vein, he said.
