Healthcare Gaps in Bangladesh

Medicine or treatment is one of the core needs of human existence. Just as one cannot live without proper food, one cannot live without proper treatment when in need.

There are more than 5,000 government hospitals and health complexes throughout the country, and their primary goal is to provide quality healthcare.

However, it is a matter of disappointment that these crucial institutions are failing to render service properly owing to a number of shortcomings.

Firstly, the patient-doctor ratio is quite inconsistent. In Bangladesh, there are only 5.26 doctors for every 10 thousand people. A country with 175.7 million people has 71,660 beds in its government hospitals. A survey report shows that approximately 27.93% of the population remains below the poverty line.

Government hospitals are the primary source of medical help for these people. Patients often fill all the corners of the hospital floors. It is the only way they can avail themselves of good treatment at an affordable cost. This alarming gap creates a longer waiting time for the patients and a delay in treatment, and the suffering of the patients increases.

However, in government hospitals, people only spend Tk10 for consultancy, whereas Tk50 is required to get admitted. In contrast to that, at private hospitals, the consultancy fees start from Tk500 and can go up to Tk2500. So, many people have no other option but to resort to the government hospitals, whatever their environment may be.

The health ministry of Bangladesh has made a ‘Hospital Infections Prevention and Control Manual’. The manual holds detailed instructions on the hospital, its premises, and waste management.

However, not a single individual visiting any of the government hospitals will agree with the fact that the hospital or its premises are clean enough. Along with unclean bathrooms, the bed covers are also rarely changed. In fact, according to research done by ICCDR, 68% of government hospitals are functional, whereas only 33% are clean. The cleanliness is not limited to clean toilets.

Two years back, I had to stay in the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for three days. And with complete confidence, I had never seen or experienced a hospital or its premises in such an unhygienic state.

The cleaners are neither concerned nor cooperative towards their duties. As soon as I reached the hospital, a member from a syndicate reached out to me, saying they could help me with anything and everything if I paid him some cash. Luckily, I had denied it. Like most other patients, I was sitting on the floor, using only a mat. One of the cleaners came by and mopped around the floor with so much negligence that the dirty mop touched the patient’s body directly.

Thirdly, a lot of fraudulent people are running syndicates inside hospital premises. They charge different amounts of money from people in the name of giving them hope for better treatment. In some cases, they even charge the attendants with a fake hope of getting them medicines at a lower price while actually charging higher.

Therefore, patients who come in need of service end up suffering more. Despite all these drawbacks, the only reason behind people from all over the country seeking treatment at government hospitals and clinics is the expertise of doctors and the affordability.

The government hospitals are equipped with top-notch doctors who may also have foreign degrees and years of individual practice, along with private chambers. The core issues faced by patients are negligence of duty and inconsistency.

For people of limited income, government hospitals really serve as the best option. The above-mentioned drawbacks are some issues that are rooted deep inside the health care system. The government must take effective measures to fix them so that they can render better healthcare service.