Doctors’ chambers in govt hospitals from Mar 30

The government – under a pilot project – is allowing physicians in 10 state-owned district hospitals and 20 upazila health complexes to launch private practice at their respective facilities from March 30.

Making the disclosure at the ministry on Monday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque told reporters that doctors in selected healthcare facilities will be able to run their private practices after regular work schedule, for three hours two days a week.

The minister had announced this initiative back in January this year, and added that the practice would begin on the first day of March.

Expressing his optimism, Maleque said if the provision of private practice, provided under authorised policies, is introduced in government hospitals, the cost of treatment borne by patients will be reduced to a large extent.

“A hospital’s outdoor and emergency services will remain open alongside this initiative.”

He provided more details by saying a patient will have to pay Tk 500 to get healthcare services from a professor-ranked physician, and of the sum, the physician will get Tk 400.

Similarly, a patient will have to pay Tk 400 to get services from an associate professor-ranked physician and Tk 300 for assistant professor or junior consultant or a doctor having post graduate degree and Tk 200 for the MBBS or BDS or equivalent level physician.

A patient can also undergo a minor operation and can avail different tests including X-ray and ultra-sonogram from these hospitals. The operation costs would be the same amount regular patients pay.

However, for minor surgery, a local anesthesiologist will get Tk 800, the staff will get Tk 400 and a patient will pay Tk 300 as service charge.

For a cesarean section (C-Section), the local anesthesiologist and specialist doctor will get Tk 1,000 and Tk 500 respectively, the staff will get Tk 500 and the patient will pay an additional Tk 500 as service charge.

For medical tests, staff and technicians will get the 50 per cent of the government-set fees and the rest will be considered as service charges. For radiology and imaging services, technicians and staff will get 30 per cent of the charges, while the hospital will receive 70 per cent.

The government will also form an institutional practice monitoring cell and the respective hospital authority will have to submit a report regarding revenue and expenditure to the cell every six month.

Hospitals, where this service will be launched, have to conduct an audit by the government auditor every year, and have to submit the report to the ministry, the minister said.