Ctg health offices lack data on illegal health centres

The Chattogram divisional health office has sealed 190 private hospitals and clinics in the last four days for various irregularities and for not having a licence.

But interestingly, health authorities in the port city do not have an exact number of unlicensed or unauthorised health centres in the division.

None of the offices concerned – the Chattogram Divisional Health Office, the Civil Surgeon's Office, and the City Corporation's Health Department – has any such list.

Divisional Health Office Director Dr Hasan Shahriar Kabir told TBS that preparations were underway to make a list of such health centres.

Chattogram Civil Surgeon Dr Elias Chowdhury said his office did not have a list of unlicensed or unlicensed health care providers because these institutions had started their business without licence.

"We only have information on organisations that have applied for a licence online. It is difficult for us to get information on any organisation that has not applied. We do not have that big manpower," he said.

He, however, said his office has initiated a process to make the list.

According to the Civil Surgeon's Office, of the 190 private health centres shut down, 63 were in Cumilla, 35 in Chandpur, 22 in Noakhali, 21 in Brahmanbaria, 13 in Khagrachari, 11 each in Chattogram and Feni, nine in Lakshmipur, three in Cox's Bazar, and one each in Rangamati and Bandarban.

"We could not conduct drives for more than two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. From now on, the drive against any irregularities will continue," the civil surgeon said.

Civil society representatives have denounced the government's health offices for not having any list of unauthorised or unlicensed health centres.

Akhter Kabir Chowdhury, secretary of Shushaoner Jonno Nagarik (Shujan), said not having a list of unauthorised or unlicensed health centres in these offices means that the departments are not discharging their duties properly.

A picture of major irregularities has surfaced

During the drives in the last four days, most of the diagnostic centres were found providing health services to people without a licence from the DGHS. Many health centres do not have approval for a pathologist physician, nor do they have any pathologists certified by  the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC).

On 26 May, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) directed the authorities concerned to close all unregistered health centres across the country.  

Following the directive, the district health authorities closed a number of diagnostic centres in the port city for running their facilities without any documents and for irregularities.

Highlighting the irregularities, Dr Elias Chowdhury said, "During the drive on Monday, we found the Genetic Lab diagnostic centre did not have a BMDC-certified pathologist and no permit from the DGHS. The Metro Diagnostic Centre here could not show documents for their Blood Collection (MT) lab either."

"Treatment Hospital did not display a price list of services and Chattogram Cosmopolitan Hospital could not show any documents, including their licence to practice. We also found  brokers in STS Hospital in the port city's Panchlaish area," he also said. 

According to the Chattogram Divisional Health Office, there are 2,232 private hospitals and diagnostic centres in Chattogram division. Of them, 580 are located in Chattogram district, where only 200 of them have renewed their licence.  Another 1402 private hospitals and diagnostic centres have applied for licences.