Writ seeks action against three hospitals

A writ petition has been filed in the High Court seeking directives to take appropriate action against three private hospitals, including Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Hospital in the capital for overcharging bills, and two in Chattogram for not admitting patients.

Jebul Hossain Royal, a resident of Feni, filed the petition at the bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim on Monday.

The writ petition requested the High Court to issue a rule asking the authorities why the health secretary should not be directed to take action against the directors of the Anwer Khan Modern Hospital in Dhaka and Metropolitan Hospital and Medical Center Hospital on Nizam Road in the port city.

The health secretary, the director general of the health directorate and other concerned people have been made respondents in the writ petition.

Royal, son of late Tafazzal Hossain of Daganbhuiyan upazila in Feni, in his writ petition attached reports published in various national dailies on the incident of turning away patients without treatment and overcharging bills.

The petitioner alleged that his mother Mansura Begum, 67, has been ill for a long time. She has been undergoing kidney dialysis for the last three years. In this condition, on June 1, she developed fever and high blood pressure. She was later taken to the two hospitals in Chattogram, but the hospitals did not admit her.

The petition mentioned a report published in a national daily on June 22 saying Anwer Khan Modern Hospital charged Tk86,000 from a freedom fighter named Mozammel Haque, 67, for oxygen taken for a short while. And the total bill for staying in the hospital for three days was Tk2.5 lakh.