Providing healthcare at affordable cost
When Brajendra Debnath felt chest pain a few months ago, his doctor advised him to undergo a coronary angiogram. The 72-year-old contacted private diagnostic centres in Chattogram, but was daunted by the examination cost of Tk 20,000.
Brajendra, from Lohagara upazila, was unsure of what he would do or how he would manage the funds.
Thankfully, he came to know that the diagnosis is must cheaper at the Cardiology Ward of Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
Brajendra immediately rushed there and found that it cost one-tenth of private centres. A patient has to pay only Tk 2,000 for the test. “In addition, I got additional perks for being a freedom fighter; I was entitled to free test at the public hospital,” he said while talking to The Daily Star recently.
Dr Prabir Kumar Das, head of the cardiology department at Chattogram Medical College, performed Brajendra’s angiogram.
Coronary angiogram is a procedure that uses X-ray imaging to see blood vessels inside the heart. It is the primary test to diagnose blockages in arteries in the heart.
Ali Akbar, 48, another patient from the port city’s Kalamiah Bazar area, also said he had his angiogram done at CMCH for a fraction of the cost charged by private diagnostic centres of the port city.
Like Brajendra and Akbar, hundreds of cardiac patients are served at affordable pricing.
The Cardiology Department has performed 10,000 coronary angiograms till April since inception of the service in 2004, said Dr Laxmi Pada Das, registrar of the ward.
Dr Prabir said, “Many don’t know that the test is very cheap at CMCH.”
“Currently , we have one catheterisation laboratory only, and so we cannot serve more than five patients a day,” he said, adding, “Many patients have to wait for days.”
“A new cath lab is under construction, but the problem is that we have only four trained technicians for the service,” said Dr Prabir.
“If four more technicians are appointed, we will be able to provide 10 persons with the service a day,” he said.
In addition, the physician said there is no professor post at the Cardiology Department, which is very important for the sake of patients.
Dr Prabir, an associate professor, said although they wrote to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to create the post around nine months ago, they are yet to get any response.
Contacted, CMCH Director Brig Gen Mohsen Uddin Ahmed said appointment of additional manpower to the cardiology ward is under government consideration.
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