Patients pay for free tests

Trackback URL

Download PDF

Barring a few, public hospitals in Dhaka are charging patients for pathological and imaging tests meant to be free of costs.

Some of these hospitals however tweaked the government rule, requiring patients at general beds to scramble recommendations from the hospital directors or senior doctors in order to get free tests.

But then, hospital staffers would not tell patients about it as fifty percent of the extracted fees go to the doctors and employees.

“It’s strictly prohibited to charge general-bed patients for the tests available at public hospitals,” Akhter Hossain Bhuiyan, director (hospitals and clinics) at the Directorate General of Health Services, told The Daily Star.

He wondered if any hospital would be charging the general bed patients for tests.

Noticing these correspondents gleaning information on such practices over the past few days, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) authorities ordered a stop to charging patients at general beds in the past two days.

Dr Roksana Begum, in-charge of the clinical pathology department, told The Daily Star on Sunday, “We did it on humanitarian grounds.”

The DMCH’s clinical pathology department and the pathology centres at Dhaka Medical College had been charging their patients for over two months.

The hospital’s radiology and imaging department, however, went on with the practice they established since November 15, 2007.

Staffer there said they were only acting on the authorities’ instructions.

Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital, National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Nitor), Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital, National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital and Infectious Diseases Hospital are exceptions of the practices.

DMCH Director Brig Gen Abdus Shahid Khan denied charging patients for tests meant to be free.

“We’re not charging any general-bed patient, neither did we do it in the past,” he claimed over the phone.

However, all the departments which conduct different tests received instructions to stop making general-bed patients pay for tests.

At Mitford Hospital, the second largest public hospital in Dhaka, these correspondents Monday came across Moriam Bibi, 56, from Sirajdikhan, Munshiganj,

She had her blood sugar, S Creatinine, and urine tests done at Tk 89.50.

“We came here safe in the knowledge that available tests are free here. But we are seeing things otherwise,” said the woman recuperating from a brain stroke at bed No. 25, ward FM, unit 3 of the hospital Thursday.

She said she already spent Tk 1,000 for tests at the hospital.

Staffers working at different departments told The Daily Star that the general-bed patients are paying for tests done at the hospital for over a year.

“Patients don’t need to bear the costs if they can show certified letters from senior doctors and assistant directors,” a staff at the clinical pathology department said seeking anonymity.

The same is the case at National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Patients have to produce certificates from the director.

“Patients have to come to me to get the tests done free. I do it to ensure accountability,” the hospital’s director Prof AHM Firoze said.

Staffers said very few patients go to him.

The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) charges patients for five tests–BTCT, PT, HIV, HCV and blood scanning.

At the National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology, the general bed patients have to bear fifty percent of the test costs.

“I had to pay Tk 150 for S Creatinine and S electrolyte,” Monjila Khatun, 50, from Rajbari, said. She however said the hospital did not charge for the USG test.

The National institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital is no exception. Patients have to pay for the tests the health directorate’s director (hospitals) said are free of costs.

Leave a Reply