My experience with doctors
The caretaker govt's drive against revenue corruption and fraud is being pursued in full swing but another corrupt practice of a very grave nature affecting both the revenue of the govt. and the pocket of general masses is being totally ignored. I am talking about the corrupt practices of the doctors, whether for writing prescription or giving specialised services. I am sorry to see that neither the govt nor the medical council, constituted of doctors only, has looked into this social corruption involving our life and death. In the absence of any strong Regulatory Authority, the doctors are involved in corrupt practices and earning a huge amount of money without paying taxes to the govt. These practices, if left unchecked, will become the greatest social menace.
Let me give some examples of my tryst with doctors:
(1) In Chittagong, I visited an ENT doctor who after giving prescription twice or thrice without curing my problem, told me to visit another ENT specialist in Dhaka, for audiogram as he had no such machine available with him. After listening to his advice, I wanted to leave his chamber but to my utter surprise he stopped me to ask for his fees! I told him about his failure to keep an audiogram machine for which he should have felt sorry but instead, he was asking for the fees for just referring me to another doctor in Dhaka. I had to pay him as I found him shifting to an offensive mood.
(2) A few years later in Dhaka, I had to visit another Prof. of ENT who was sitting in a dark room wearing headlights plus two assistants on both sides of him. I found myself in a psychedelic surrounding! Before I could finish describing my ear pain problem, I was given a note by one of the assistants for doing a CT scan of the head at a particular diagnostic centre. I requested for doing this test at another place which is very close to my residence but this was rejected. So I had to go to that centre with Tk 900 in my pocket. But I was told that the test would cost Tk 6000/-. The charge shocked me but not the ENT doctor who would surely get 25% commission! I could not do the test but thank God within a few days my ear pain was gone. It is almost 10 years that the CT scan and the doctor's commission is still due but I am totally cured without their help.
(3) I took my one-year old grandson to a doctor for treatment of some urinary problem. He took his fees and prescribed some medicines and also referred me to a hormone specialist. I took my grandson to the hormone doctor who saw the baby and told that hormone treatment before 5 years of age is not done, so I was told to forget it for the time being. So much so but I was shocked when the doctor pressed me for his full fee of Tk 500/- After arguments, he showed mercy and asked me to pay Tk 300/- which I had to. However, I am yet to understand why the former doctor did not know that children below 5 years are not advised hormone treatment?
(4) I had to go to a cardiac doctor who was once not obliged by me for some services while I was working in a monopoly govt dept. I had some blood pressure related problem. He immediately recognised and told me to leave and visit him if I got fainted. It was great of him that he did not charge any fees but took the revenge any way.
It is now high time that their malpractices and excesses are contained. I think many more people must have more painful experiences with doctors, including misbehaviour by them.
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