he survey report titled ‘The challenges to good governance in the health sector and ways to improve’ was disseminated at a city hotel on Thursday. The international graft watchdog interviewed doctors, employees and officials of health ministry between November 2013 and August 2014 to prepare the report. The survey found that unemployed doctors pay Tk 3–5 lakh for being recruited on ad-hoc basis. The ruling Awami League in its immediate past tenure appointed more than 4,500 doctors on ad-hoc basis, said the report. The report also said government doctors pay Tk 1-2 lakh for transfer to district hospitals from upazila and upazil Sadars. For transfer to an upazila town from remote areas or an upazila, they pay between Tk 10,000 and Tk 50,000. Senior health officials pay from Tk 5 lakh to Tk 10 lakh as bribe for their transfer to Dhaka or adjoining areas while doctors pay Tk 2.5 lakh for staying in the same duty station for longer periods in a bid to earn extra cash from additional jobs at private hospitals, the report said. Grade-III and VI employees pay Tk 1-5 lakh for appointment and Tk 50,000 - 2 lakh for transferring into upazila town from other parts in the upazilas, it said. The TIB has also found such corruptions and irregularities are taking places in health sector through the involvement of the leaders of ‘employees union’, ruling party, account officers, administrative officers and chief office assistants. The TIB said doctors have agreements with private diagnostic centres for which they get 30 to 50 percent commission for referring patients to a particular diagnostic centre while the brokers in the middle get 10-30 percent commission for bringing patients to private clinics and diagnostic centers. Many diagnostic centres use names of pathologists to deliver a report despite having no staff pathologists of their own, the TIB said. A number of doctors, not even recognised by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, are practicing across the country and catering healthcare services to the public, the report claimed. The graft watchdog also recommended the government to increase fund allocation for healthcare sector in the upcoming budgets to tackle these known issues. It urged for updating the laws related to the healthcare service and its enforcement. The TIB has said the draft of the report was submitted to the health ministry with the presence of health secretary and other high officials on August 28 this year. While talking to the media while disseminating the survey report, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, however, said Bangladesh’s health sector had several achievements but factors like graft had curbed the standard of healthcare in the country. The report also found some positive changes in country’s health sector, including taking healthcare to the doorstep of the people by setting up community clinics, reducing the population growth rate, availability of free medicine at state-owned hospitals with measures in place to avoid medicine theft, progress in maternal and child healthcare by taking some pragmatic measure and establishment of burn units in all the public medical college hospitals. Special eye treatments have been provided to 7 lakh patients with free lens under national eye care, pharmaceutical industries have been turned into export-oriented industries with the patron of the government, the report said. Some 20 percent posts remain vacant in different sectors of the health ministry, said the report. Meanwhile, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim while addressing a programme on Thursday said “We would not allow any corruption in the health sector.” “Punitive action will be taken against the employees of health ministry who will be found involvement in corruption,” he added. “The TIB focused on corruptions and irregularities in general, any organisation has not specified. I will comment on the issue after going through the report,” the health minister said.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Corruption cripples healthcare: TIB:Daily Sun
he survey report titled ‘The challenges to good governance in the health sector and ways to improve’ was disseminated at a city hotel on Thursday. The international graft watchdog interviewed doctors, employees and officials of health ministry between November 2013 and August 2014 to prepare the report. The survey found that unemployed doctors pay Tk 3–5 lakh for being recruited on ad-hoc basis. The ruling Awami League in its immediate past tenure appointed more than 4,500 doctors on ad-hoc basis, said the report. The report also said government doctors pay Tk 1-2 lakh for transfer to district hospitals from upazila and upazil Sadars. For transfer to an upazila town from remote areas or an upazila, they pay between Tk 10,000 and Tk 50,000. Senior health officials pay from Tk 5 lakh to Tk 10 lakh as bribe for their transfer to Dhaka or adjoining areas while doctors pay Tk 2.5 lakh for staying in the same duty station for longer periods in a bid to earn extra cash from additional jobs at private hospitals, the report said. Grade-III and VI employees pay Tk 1-5 lakh for appointment and Tk 50,000 - 2 lakh for transferring into upazila town from other parts in the upazilas, it said. The TIB has also found such corruptions and irregularities are taking places in health sector through the involvement of the leaders of ‘employees union’, ruling party, account officers, administrative officers and chief office assistants. The TIB said doctors have agreements with private diagnostic centres for which they get 30 to 50 percent commission for referring patients to a particular diagnostic centre while the brokers in the middle get 10-30 percent commission for bringing patients to private clinics and diagnostic centers. Many diagnostic centres use names of pathologists to deliver a report despite having no staff pathologists of their own, the TIB said. A number of doctors, not even recognised by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, are practicing across the country and catering healthcare services to the public, the report claimed. The graft watchdog also recommended the government to increase fund allocation for healthcare sector in the upcoming budgets to tackle these known issues. It urged for updating the laws related to the healthcare service and its enforcement. The TIB has said the draft of the report was submitted to the health ministry with the presence of health secretary and other high officials on August 28 this year. While talking to the media while disseminating the survey report, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, however, said Bangladesh’s health sector had several achievements but factors like graft had curbed the standard of healthcare in the country. The report also found some positive changes in country’s health sector, including taking healthcare to the doorstep of the people by setting up community clinics, reducing the population growth rate, availability of free medicine at state-owned hospitals with measures in place to avoid medicine theft, progress in maternal and child healthcare by taking some pragmatic measure and establishment of burn units in all the public medical college hospitals. Special eye treatments have been provided to 7 lakh patients with free lens under national eye care, pharmaceutical industries have been turned into export-oriented industries with the patron of the government, the report said. Some 20 percent posts remain vacant in different sectors of the health ministry, said the report. Meanwhile, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim while addressing a programme on Thursday said “We would not allow any corruption in the health sector.” “Punitive action will be taken against the employees of health ministry who will be found involvement in corruption,” he added. “The TIB focused on corruptions and irregularities in general, any organisation has not specified. I will comment on the issue after going through the report,” the health minister said.
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