Birdem's free one-stop service

Patients waiting for receiving treatment at the outdoor of Birdem.Photo: STAR

Aklima Khatun, an elderly woman from Narinda was waiting in a long queue outside the doctor's chamber at the Birdem Hospital. She has been suffering from kidney ailments due to uncontrolled diabetes.
“The doctor asked me to do some tests a few days ago and today I have come to take the test results,” she said.
“It would have been better if I could get the results in a few hours. Then I would not have to come from Narinda once again to get the results,” she added.
Aklima is one of around 3,000 patients that come to get the outdoor service every day at Birdem hospital where around 10,000 tests are being carried out daily.
For poor patients like Aklima Birdem is now going to introduce one-stop service to provide better treatment free of cost. Here they will be able to get test results within hours. The service will be available within six months. At present the hospital has a paid one-stop service for those who can afford it.
Dr Sarwar Ali, joint secretary general, Diabetic Association Bangladesh, said that the free service will be a part of the voluntary work of the association.
“From the very beginning it was the mission of the association that no diabetic patient will remain unfed, unemployed and untreated and this service is being introduced to provide better treatment to the poor patients.
"When this service will come into effect one will be able to get reports within a few hours. Like if one gives samples in the morning before going to his office he will be able to get results in the evening after his office is over," he said.
Every year around Tk 35 crore is being spent for providing free insulin and free treatment to the poor patients. Of this cost government donates Tk 3 crore. Thirty percent of the 600 beds are free of cost, which is partly financed from the earning of the rest of the beds and other means. Around 33 percent of the total expenditure is done for free treatment.
Not all of the free services are covered by paid services. So the association went for the paid one-stop service. It is available at a three-floor building within the compound.
At present the ground floor is providing pathological tests. The hospital is also planning to expand its emergency service. There is an observation unit, which provides service to ten patients at a time, said hospital sources.
"To finance our free treatment programmes we will introduce the paid one-stop service for those who can afford. A team of full-time consultants will be put on stand-by who won't practice outside the hospital. The rate will be much lower than the private hospitals of our level," he said.
Here specialist doctors will be kept available round the clock for emergency patients, both diabetic and non-diabetic unlike most city hospitals where specialists are available on call. They will perform surgery whenever it is needed for emergency and other patients. Surgery charge will also be cheaper. A high-dependency unit will also assist the expanded emergency service.
There will also be a day-care service where patients will be able to get released within a day after undergoing surgery.
This service is being introduced keeping in mind the problems of the middle class people who avoid a free service but are unable to pay exorbitant fees to get proper treatment and to lend a hand to the serious patients as emergency service is almost non-existent in the city hospitals.
According to many this service will help alleviate the current crisis of emergency services in the city.
"Emergency treatment is now almost non-existent in the city. If you have lots of money then you can go to shiny private hospitals where they charge an exorbitant amount that the middle class cannot afford," said a resident of Mirpur.