A clarion call for healthcare reform

It is hard to process the tragedy that has unfolded since that botched C-section operation at the capital's Central Hospital on June 10. Its first victim, as most people know by now, was the newborn baby, and then, eight days later, the mother, Mahbuba Akter Akhi, too passed away, as a consequence of that surgical aberration. Our heart goes out to the family that has suffered this horrible tragedy under circumstances that seemed downright criminal, including how the hospital staff reportedly lied about the presence of Akhi's gynaecologist in the operating theatre.

On June 14, her husband filed a case accusing doctors and hospital authorities of wrong treatment and falsehood. So far, two of the doctors have been arrested. Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Health Services shut down the hospital's surgery and ICU services. Given the magnitude of what happened, this sequence of events is rather predictable. While we hope that those responsible for the tragedy will be held accountable following the laws of the land, one important aspect that needs critical scrutiny is how expectant mothers are often encouraged or rather misled to undergo C-section in Bangladesh. According to one report, Akhi had gone to the hospital in the hopes of having a normal delivery. Instead, she had to undergo surgery due to "complications" – which is increasingly a go-to excuse for many hospitals pushing unnecessary, expensive C-sections.

Presently, such surgeries, which are only supposed to be performed under certain circumstances, account for 45 percent of all deliveries, and 84 percent of them are performed at private hospitals. Given this reality, can we be certain that Akhi really needed a C-section? If the hospital staff could lie about her gynaecologist, could they also have lied about a normal delivery not being an option?

The whole development serves as yet another reminder of how mismanaged and poorly regulated our health sector is – a fact we are reminded of through the sufferings of patients every day. The Central Hospital saga is a clarion call for a much-needed overhaul of our health sector.