The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has hibernated almost the whole year but at the fag end of the fiscal it emerged to demand extra funds from the finance division to meet up their abrupt costs amid Covid-19 pandemic, said an official of the finance division.
That increased demand for funds is now putting pressure on the government exchequer.
On Thursday, the finance division disbursed Tk 79.34 crore from outgoing fiscal year’s block allocation funds for salaries and allowances for newly-appointed doctors and nurses along with quarantine expenses.
The official of the finance division said, “We have put Tk 2,000 crore as block allocation for several times in the ongoing 2019-20 fiscal year but that allocation vanishes within a short time because of health ministry’s demands.”
Earlier finance division apprehended that health ministry won’t be able to use nearly Tk 1000 crore for procuring of ICU equipment and Tk 608 crore for salaries and allowances but at the end of fiscal year health ministry utilized that amount. They have also demanded extra funds, the official said.
The official also said the government has allocated Tk 10,000 crore for the next fiscal year to meet the sudden demand of the country's healthcare.
The official further said, “Health ministry has sought funds for salaries and allowances of doctors and nurses which is supposed to be allocated in beginning of the fiscal year but they are yet to seek extra funds for ICU bed, oxygen, and training for doctors and nurses.” Last week during passed of the supplementary budget in national parliament, finance ministry AHM Mustafa Kamal said an additional of Tk 3,705 crore has been allocated for the healthcare sector, health disaster management departments along with defense ministry for coordinating the supplementary budget.
Finance division disbursed Tk 57.34 crore against the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) for a month and 19-day salaries of the newly-recruited 2,000 doctors and 5,054 nurses in the country. Besides, the division also disbursed Tk 21 crore for the doctors and nurses quarantine expenses of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Railway General Hospital. Two weeks ago, DGHS sought additional Tk180 crore from the finance division for providing salaries and allowances, and bonuses to the doctors at the hospitals dedicated for coronavirus treatment.
The decision of recruitment of additional doctors has come at a time when there are complaints that Covid-19 patients at the nine hospitals are not getting basic treatment let alone proper healthcare. An official of DGHS not to be named said the wave of deadly coronavirus pandemic has affected country in a sudden blow. We have revised the plan several times as a result increased demands for funds, an official said.
Convener of Janaswasthya Sangram Parishad Faiezul Hakim said now the government will have to spend money for requisition of private hospitals for Covid-19 patients. More money will also be spent for central oxygen systems in hospitals, he said.
In the 2019-20 fiscal year, the government allocated Tk 608 crore for paying doctors’ salaries. According to the latest figures of DGHS, there are 93,358 MBBS doctors and 9,569 dentists in the country. A total of 25,980 doctors are employed at public hospitals. Apart from them, around 70,000 doctors are working in private facilities.
Two months ago, the government-appointed 2,000 doctors from the non-cadre waiting list of 39th Bangladesh Civil Services (BCS), and 6,000 nurses.
According to Bangladesh Doctors' Foundation (BDF), at least 1280 doctors tested positive and 45 doctors died for the coronavirus pandemic until June 18.
