Let this anarchy in the health sector come to an end

Imported medical equipment worth crores of taka is ultimately being sold by the kilogram at scrap shops – what could be more disheartening than this? According to a newspaper report published yesterday, this issue has starkly exposed the skeletal state of our country’s ailing health sector.

This is not merely a case of shortsightedness; rather, it stands as a glaring testament to the gross mismanagement, rampant corruption, and wastage of public funds within the country’s health sector.

The sorry state of two radiotherapy machines – worth 18 crore taka – lying unused for a long time at government hospitals in Khulna and Faridpur stands as a glaring example of this.

Moreover, while countless hospitals across the country possess X-ray machines, there are no technicians to operate them.

Laboratory equipment worth millions lies covered in layers of dust, yet no lab technicians have been appointed to run it. After lying unused in wooden boxes for years, this valuable equipment eventually became unserviceable and useless.

Allegedly, an artificial shortage of technicians and a situation involving non-functional equipment are essentially engineered in government hospitals so that private hospitals can benefit; this is because a certain segment of doctors, nurses, and technicians from government hospitals also engage in private practice at those private facilities.

They collude to force the public to undergo medical tests at exorbitant rates. This unethical practice could be halted if doctors, nurses, and technicians from government hospitals were prohibited from engaging in private practice at private hospitals.

If necessary, they will perform additional duties at government hospitals in the afternoon in exchange for reasonable remuneration.

Under the rules, they are not permitted to do so, as entry into government service requires severing ties with private or even social organizations.

Ultrasonography, ECG, anesthesia, and ventilator machines are procured for government hospitals at the cost of lakhs of taka, yet it is deeply regrettable that they remain locked away for years. We must put an end to haphazard procurement practices.

The greed for financial gain and massive commissions among importers, bureaucrats, and syndicates of middlemen – prioritized over actual needs – is responsible for this state of affairs regarding the procurement of medical equipment.

Allegations exist that equipment is purchased – despite a lack of manpower – solely to misappropriate allocated budget funds.

No bureaucrat, contractor, or administrator has yet faced exemplary punishment for the offense of allowing machinery worth crores of taka to be ruined through negligence. It is this culture of impunity that has institutionalized corruption.

To address this, a high-powered expert audit committee must be constituted under the Ministry of Health.