Treatment in hospitals
Photo: STAR
The word 'Hospital' might have originated from the word 'Hospitality' which means as per dictionary friendly generous reception to strangers. But unfortunately in hospitals nowadays the hospitality is totally absent, rather they have become money making centres. In the context of present situation the hospitals should better be termed business centre for health care. A grim picture of hospitals was depicted in the news published in The Daily Star on 26-08-10 under the title “ICU too costly for poor”. Dhaka Medical College Hospital is always under huge pressure and it is good luck for any patient to get admitted there. Obviously, patients are forced to go to private hospitals where many of them receive treatments but come out penniless. Different private hospitals are charging differently for the same facility as there is no government regulation or monitoring. The amount of expenditure in a private hospital is very high for the middle income group and beyond the reach of the low earners. Some private hospitals have agents to refer patients to them where the agents get commission for sending a patient to a selected hospital. It is reported that the government has little or almost no monitoring of the private hospitals. If there were sufficient services available at all public hospitals at district level, poor patients might get medicare. The result is that less privileged people have to either go without treatment or sell all their properties if they are to have treatment in a private hospital. The medical service has been gradually going into the hands of people whose ultimate motive is to make business out of the hapless patients' woes. The high costs have been preventing villagers to seek treatment from qualified doctors. A study reveals that 85% people seek quack remedies. Though the right to medical service is one of the basic human rights, the poor and middle income people are being deprived of the service. The capacities of public hospitals are in need of drastic improvement. They need more equipment, wards, ICU, doctors and nurses. The government should also take guarantee from the private hospitals to earmark some of their wards and ICUs for treating the poor patients. In the interest of the poor and middle income people, the situation calls for the government's regulation and strong monitoring of the hospital service sector.
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