Patients bear the brunt

Hundreds of patients suffered as the owners of private healthcare facilities in Rajshahi city observed a 22-hour strike until yesterday afternoon protesting mobile court verdicts against three clinic owners.

Operation at most of the clinics remained suspended since Tuesday evening mounting sufferings for patients.

The Rajshahi chapter of Bangladesh Private Clinic and Diagnostics Owners' Association called the indefinite strike at 6:00pm on Tuesday, although most of the private clinics and diagnostic centres closed their shutters down soon after the mobile court drive began around 2:00pm.

Salima Khatun, 45, went to Popular Diagnostic Centre in the city from Kushtia for tests for kidney disease and blood infections. She had to spend the night at the centre's courtyard hoping they would open up soon.

“I have no way to return home without the tests as I cannot afford the money to come back again,” she said yesterday morning.

Hafizul Mondol of Dinajpur said he passed the night at Rajshahi Railway Station.

As the clinics and diagnostic centres were closed Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) had to deal with extra pressures of patients, said RMCH Director Brig Gen Rafiqul Islam.

He said the hospital handles 450 indoor and 3,500 outdoor patients daily, but after the closure of clinics, the number of outdoor patients increased by hundreds. Patients also had to suffer at the government hospital as it does not have facilities for all medical tests, he added.

Many patients were seen running from clinics to clinics for pathological tests, but the authorities kept their shutters down.

Some 100 Private clinics and diagnostic centres in the city deals with more than 1,200 patients daily, said the clinic owners.

Assigned by the health directorate in Dhaka, a mobile court of Rapid Action Battalion led by executive magistrate Sarwar Alam on Tuesday fined three private clinics -- Amana Hospital, Royal Hospital and Delta Diagnostic Centre -- around Tk 8.25 lakh in Laxmipur area for using expired and smuggled Indian equipment.

Two managers of Amana and Royal hospitals were picked-up by the law enforcers as they were unable to pay the fines immediately.

The association leaders, however, said the mobile court imposed “excessive fines” under the Consumers' Rights Protection Act of 2009, although private hospitals are conducted by the Private Clinics and Laboratories (Regulation) Ordinance of 1982.

Instead of appealing to the higher courts, the owners of healthcare facilities preferred strike to challenge the verdicts for avoiding “lengthy process of courts”, said Abdul Mannan, president of Bangladesh Clinic and Diagnostic Owners' Association, Rajshahi chapter.

“The court gave its verdict in moments, but we don't see the same speed when we file an appeal,” he said. 

He said he never experienced any clinic owner challenging a mobile court verdict to the higher court.

“Our raids followed the law of the land. The clinics' authorities have the right to challenge the court's decisions,” said Sarwar Alam, executive magistrate of the mobile court.

“At the clinics we found surgical materials which expired four years ago and those must cause infections, even deaths if administered to patients. Such activities of putting lives in danger cannot be measured by any amount of fines.”

“Clinic owners' movement protesting the verdict is unethical. They should be rather sorry for what they did,” he said.

The association called off the strike at 4:00pm yesterday following a meeting with the district administration at the office of Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner.

The association leaders claimed the administration assured them such raids would not be conducted in future.

However, Ashish Kumar Saha, director of heath, Rajshahi division, said no such assurance was given. “We asked them to understand the reality and the government's intention to improve the quality of health services,” he said.