Patients coming to get treatment at Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital in Old Dhaka, known as Mitford Hospital, are being harassed. From step to step broker, there is the origin of the thief. Days pass by standing in queues to see a doctor or get some tests done. If you hire a broker and give money, the work becomes a little easier. Brokers in private clinics and hospitals are eager to share patients. In this case, some doctors give this opportunity to brokers.
Farida Begum (55), a resident of Keraniganj, stood in the queue for a ticket to get treatment outside the hospital at 8 am on Wednesday with stomach pain. 11 am to get the desired tickets. Then stood in line for 2 hours and went to the doctor at 1 pm. The doctor asked him to see her for some tests including an ultrasound. After standing in line for another 2 hours, deposit the exam fee and get the receipt. After standing in the queue for several hours with that receipt, but unable to do the ultrasonogram, he came at 7 am on Thursday and stood in the queue again. You can do the ultrasonogram at 10 am and then stand in line and see the doctor at 12 noon that day. While returning home, he said to the Jugantar reporter in a tone of regret, 'The day is over with serials. What else should I do for treatment?' Not only him, almost all the patients who came to that hospital suffered from such an experience. Even if he met the doctor after many hardships, he had to fall into the grip of the broker for the examination.
It is known that hundreds of thousands of patients come to Mitford Hospital for outpatient services every day. At this time, the patients became fed up with the appearance of brokers and thieves. Patients are blaming the lack of ticket and money deposit counters for the suffering. Ansar members in charge are also getting involved with brokering. Brokers extort money from patients to book tickets, make deposits and see doctors. If they agree to pay money, they do these things through some employees. As a result, the patients are not able to finish the work properly while standing in the serial.
From 10 am to 2 pm on Wednesday, hundreds of patients were seen queuing for tickets at the hospital. After sensing the presence of journalists, some people got out of line. It is taking more than 1 hour for the patients to get the ticket according to the serial. As seen from the exterior on the 2nd floor of the new building of the hospital, long queues in front of the doctor's rooms in each department. It takes one to one and a half hours for a patient to go to the doctor. A relative of a patient named Akhter told this reporter, I have been standing in the serial for 1 hour. After us, many people are leaving after seeing a doctor. When asked how they are going, he said that if Ansar members and employees are given one to two hundred rupees, they break the serial and let them enter the doctor's room. Those who are unable to pay, only have to stand in line.
On the ground floor balcony of that building, long serials can be seen at the money deposit counter. There are similar complaints from patients. After going up to the second floor, there is a long line of patients to give test samples and get reports. There is a long queue of patients for X-ray, ultrasonogram, MRI and CT scan of the radiology and imaging department on the ground floor and second floor of building number 1 of the hospital. In this way the patients have to take medical care by suffering indescribable pain every step of the way.
A medical technologist at the hospital said most tests for diagnosis are not done at the hospital. Some tests are done in the hospital's own lab. Some of the tests are being done in college labs and some in nuclear departments of hospitals. Most of the tests have to be done at outside diagnostic centers. As a result, brokers of those institutions are always active in the hospital. It can be seen in reality. Dr. on duty at the hospital. A doctor named Gautam Kumar Pal referred Abdul Majeed with a slip to a nearby clinic for ultrasonography.
At various times, the law enforcement agencies conducted raids to arrest the brokers, but most of the brokers remained elusive. After being released, the arrested brokers are again involved in the same work. Meanwhile, the patients coming to the hospital often lose everything in the hands of thieves. The Ansar commander of the hospital said that the thief was being caught and released as he did not agree to be the plaintiff in the case. He said that the ward masters do not want to be the plaintiff in the case, so even if the thief is caught, they are released on bond. He said, Ansar members will be warned not to act as brokers. Brokers are being kicked out every day. Still, many people are not being chased away because they don't know everyone, he said.
Dr. Assistant Director of Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital. Mofizur Rahman Molla said, 3000 patients come for treatment in the outpatient department of this hospital every day. There are not enough doctors and counters to handle the pressure of so many patients. The counter is being built soon. He said that if any doctor sends patients to a private clinic, it will be investigated and legal action will be taken if the complaint is proved.
