Health and Family Planning Minister Zahid Maleque has directed the doctors and officials of government hospitals to provide standard services to the patients, terming the latter as the real owners of the country’s public hospitals. 

“Some malpractices have caught my attention during my visit to various government hospitals in the last couple of months. Costly equipment is lying idle due to manpower crisis with doctors and staff misbehaving with patients. Many doctors don’t come to the hospitals on time, while the hospital floors are littered with dirt. This is unacceptable,” said Zahid. 

The Minister said this while attending a views-exchange meeting on the development of health sector with doctors and senior officials related to Chattogram’s public health sector at Chattogram Medical College Hospital’s (CMCH) meeting room on Monday afternoon.

The minister warned that either the doctors and officials of government hospitals will do their duties properly or they’ll leave their posts and go to somewhere else.  

“Many people are going to India, Thailand and Singapore for treatment just because they don’t get good behavior from Bangladeshi doctors and health officials. Lack of cleanliness is another factor that’s driving Bangladeshi patients to seek treatment abroad. We’re losing billions of taka in this way. The time has come to prevent this loss,” Zahid added. 

ABM Khurshid Alam, Director General (DG) of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Saidur Rahman, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Planning and Prof Ahmedul Kabir, Additional DG (Administration) of DGHS, among others, were present during the Minister’s visit.