The government will set the treatment charges for private hospitals in the country and divide those into three categories based on quality of treatment, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Thursday.

These private hospitals will be labelled as A, B and C category based on their quality of services, he said at a meeting on ‘fixing fees of private hospitals’ at the Secretariat.

He said five-star hospitals in the private sector were also included in the process, he added.

The hospitals will not be allowed to provide treatment, going beyond their category, also based on manpower and equipment capacity, he added.

“The government is emphasizing on primary health care. However, instructions have been given to prevent the unplanned establishment of clinics and hospitals in villages in the name of primary treatment,” he added.

Private hospitals should improve the quality of services, he said adding, “Only those hospitals will perform surgeries which have the capacities and adequate equipment.”

“If the quality of healthcare is improved, people will not go abroad for treatment. Bangladesh is losing billions of dollars as many people are taking treatment abroad,” he said.

Besides, the government is also taking a strict stance on closure of unregistered diagnostic centres, he said.

The rural doctors who do not have any academic certificates cannot continue practice. “Many doctors in the rural areas prescribe antibiotics in all cases,” said the minister.