Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul has strongly criticised the owners of private hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centres for their alleged prioritisation of profit over patient care.
The adviser also urged them to reform the healthcare system and reduce the public’s dependency on treatment abroad.
He said while speaking at the inauguration and annual general meeting of the newly elected executive committee of the Bangladesh Private Hospital, Clinic and Diagnostic Owners Association (BPHCDOA) at the Shaheed Abu Sayeed International Convention Centre in the capital on Saturday.
Addressing the owners, Asif Nazrul said “According to you, there is a market worth $4–5 billion in the medical sector. Why can you not capture this market? Why do people still prefer to go abroad for treatment?” he asked.
“Even people who have never been to Dhaka travel to India or Bangkok for medical care. They become frustrated and helpless. If proper services were provided here, they would not leave the country for treatment,” he added.
He emphasised that improving domestic healthcare would not only benefit patients but also bring economic advantages to the country and the private sector itself.
The Adviser criticised the growing trend of unnecessary medical testing, calling it a form of “torture,” particularly targeting poor patients.
Citing a personal example, he shared, “My helping hand, a poor boy, was prescribed 14 tests at a hospital in Dhaka. Frustrated, he left without taking them and recovered naturally. A known doctor there confirmed the tests were unnecessary. This kind of exercise must stop.”
He also condemned the influence of pharmaceutical companies on medical professionals. “Why must a patient buy only a specific brand of medicine? In which country does a doctor allocate time to meet pharmaceutical representatives within hospital premises?” he asked. “Are you brokers for pharmaceutical companies? Are senior doctors acting as their intermediaries? This is shameful.”
Dr Nazrul also highlighted the widespread issue of inaccurate test results in some diagnostic centres and raised concerns over the behaviour of healthcare staff. “I often hear heartbreaking complaints about the rude conduct of nurses and other hospital staff. They are angry, unmotivated, and unwilling to provide proper service,” he said, pointing to low salaries as a contributing factor.
“Do you think a nurse earning only Tk 12,000 can offer quality care? While hospital owners have properties worth crores, they fail to pay fair wages to their staff. If you make Tk 100 crore in profit, reducing that by 10 percent to improve staff salaries will only enhance your service quality,” he said.
He also praised the healthcare owners for their contributions and sacrifice during the COVID-19 pandemic. “You proved your capabilities during the coronavirus outbreak. The public no longer wants to travel to India or Thailand for treatment — now it's your responsibility to ensure they don't have to.”
He urged the private health sector to act ethically, invest in staff welfare, and put patient care at the centre of their operations.