Reputed hospital now in political quagmire

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Wholesale politicisation and massive recruitment of low quality persons during 2001 to 2006 are hampering academic affairs and treatment at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and its hospital, and have been a drag on the resources of the institution.

Against 1,600 posts including those of teachers, doctors, nurses and others, the BSMMU is now burdened with some 3,600 staff, thanks to the wholesale recruitment during the tenure of its former vice chancellor MA Hadi, who was also the president of pro-BNP Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB).

The Department of Dermatology and Venereology has 50 plus doctors including medical officer, consultant and honorory doctors against only 20 beds.

“There is no need for so many doctors. The salary the additional doctors draw could be invested in upgrading the university with modern technologies and infrastructure development,” said Dr Mohammad Sharfuddin Ahmed, associate professor of the Department of Ophthalmology.

Many top positions of the university are now held by inappropriate or inefficient doctors or teachers, said a top source.

A top source said a written application was sent to the University Grants Commission (UGC) and secretary of the health ministry on April 9, seeking investigation and necessary steps against the corrupt officials of the university following the Academic Council meeting but the UGC is yet to take any steps.

Even the caretaker government, which has taken lots of cleansing steps in several other sectors, has not started any move regarding the BSMMU although a number of allegations have sprung up in the media.

Talking to this correspondent, over a dozen officials and teachers of the BSMMU requesting anonymity levelled serious allegations against former vice chancellor Prof MA Hadi and several other former and incumbent high officials of the university and hospital as well as the former health minister.

As gross nepotism and favouring people from their areas, severe politicisation and bribery dominated recruitment and promotion for the last couple of years, the matter of academic qualifications or competence was completely ignored, sources said.

Loyalty to the ruling party became the first criterion of promotion, said an associate professor of the university, who was recently promoted to his present post.

He said he was a victim of politicisation and his promotion from the post of assistant professor to the current one took seven long years although it was due three or four years ago.

On the other hand, strong political lobbying with the administration awarded a medical officer with undue promotion to the post of associate professor within four years. Normally, such a promotion for a medical officer should take at least seven years, he said.

Many teachers of the departments of urology, radiology, radiotherapy, surgery, ENT, gynaecology and ophthalmology have been given such undue promotions between 2001 and 2006 and this has affected the quality of education and service of the university and its hospital, sources said.

A person having no teaching experience in related subjects has been made associate professor in the Department of Anaesthesiology although relevant teaching experience is a mandatory criterion for the post, said a source.

While recruiting manpower mindlessly, the university authorities did not expand its activities or the number of beds for patients.

Thirty new doctors have been recruited in the Department of Ophthalmology whereas there are only 29 seats.

The situation is similar in other departments as quality was not considered during recruitment.

Whereas highly qualified persons are supposed to serve the university, recruitment of low quality doctors and inept teachers hampers the treatment and academic affairs of the institution, several senior teachers said.

They suggested national level investigation for cancellation of the political recruitments and promotions during the last five years and massive change in the administrative and academic posts of the university.

Talking to this correspondent, acting Vice Chancellor Prof Tahir, who was pro vice chancellor during the period of the immediate past government, said politicisation started since the establishment of the university in 1998.

Prof Tahir, however, said as the university act gave the vice chancellor power to recruit the officials and staffs except the pro vice chancellor and the treasurer for six months, they had nothing to do in this regard at that time.

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