Dr. Ratindra Chandra Debnath, Superintendent of Habiganj District Adhunik Sadar Hospital, in the monthly district Law and Order meeting has expressed his helplessness in containing the menace of brokers (dalals) at the hospital.
Dr. Ratindra said, “Hospitals authorities could not take any step against the brokers due to lack of security. Moreover, representatives of various drug companies were entering the hospital daily by defying the ban. On-duty doctors were scared to prohibit them.”
He sought cooperation from the district and the police administrations to take measures against the brokers. He added, police recently arrested four brokers but due to lack of security, the hospital authorities failed to take action against the influential brokers.
Advocate Abu Zahir, MP from Habiganj-3 constituency, was present at the meeting held on Monday.
When suggested by the Deputy Commissioner that due to the interest of the service of the patients, the representatives of the drug companies should not be allowed to enter into the hospital complex before a specific time, the Superintendent said, more than 1,000 patients took treatment daily at the hospital. The representatives of the drug companies do not care for the ban imposed by the hospital authorities rather they enter into the hospital compound and talk to the doctors any time they wish. He sought police action against the representatives as well.
Mohammad Ullah, Superintendent of Police in this connection said, already some brokers have been arrested and sent to the jail but they are soon released on bail. He suggested, the managing committee of the hospital should an active role to check free entrance and staying of the brokers and the ambulances in the hospital compound. He said police will cooperate to remove the menace of brokers at the hospital.
Kamrul Hasan, Deputy Commissioner of Habiganj said, the law should run on its own track. He ensured to take immediate action to remove all irregularities of the hospital including charging of exorbitant price of drugs.
It is learnt, the patients and their attendants at Habiganj hospital are frustrated with the menace of brokers. Patients who visit the hospital from rural areas are being cheated by those brokers in various ways. By being trapped by the brokers, many of those patients also die by taking due to mistreatment at the non-registered, private clinics of the district. Even after taking repeated decisions to contain those brokers, no effective measure was taken in this connection by the hospital authorities, complained the participants at the meeting.
It is learnt, on February 4 this year, the hospital authorities published a list of 28 brokers but no action was taken against them. The speakers at the meeting informed many brokers are influential in the area and in liaison with some doctors, brokers were continuing their activities unabated.
