Where will low-income patients go for kidney treatment?

The tragic condition of treatment facilities in government and private hospitals in Bangladesh is revealed in different print and electronic media almost every day. Study is hardly required to know the plight of our healthcare services. The suffering of kidney patients, particularly the low-income people, is alarming. Well-off people can afford treatment in a private hospital or even abroad. But for the poor and lower middle class, government hospitals are the only hope. Many of the patients coming for dialysis in almost all the government medical college hospitals have to return without getting treatment. On the other hand, due to the negligence of hospital authorities, many unpleasant incidents take place too.
According to media reports, the picture of suffering of kidney patients at the Nephrology Department of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura came to light just on Saturday. New kidney patients there have to wait up to six months for dialysis. The pressure of patients is hard to manage although dialysis is continued in two shifts six days a week. Initially there were only two machines in the dialysis unit. At present, the hospital authorities are not able to handle patients even with 20 machines. Kidney patients are also reportedly undergoing dialysis at two private hospitals in Bogura that charge Tk 1,600 to 2,000 for each session. But the fee for kidney dialysis in a government hospital is Tk 470. Well-off people can afford treatment in a private hospital or even abroad. But the government hospitals are the only hope for the poor.
Sadly, kidney dialysis at National Kidney Institute and Hospital in Dhaka and Chattogram Medical College Hospital was stopped without prior announcement. Relatives of the patients staged a protest in front of the hospital. It was later learned that the Nephrology Departments of the two hospitals leased out their dialysis services to be run by a private company. Sources said Indian medical company Sandor is rendering dialysis services in Bangladesh. Sandor abruptly shut down the service on account of due bills. Where the question of patient life is involved, it is important to stop such leasing to private firms in government hospitals. There are about 3 crore kidney patients in the country and 1.30 crore of them get dialysis regularly.
If the government hospital authorities cannot provide medical services to the patients, why did they keep that department open? Besides, there are vacancies in departments of all government hospitals, which need to be filled on an urgent basis. We want these hospitals to be provided with necessary doctors and equipment soon.