Under the patronisation of some officials of the Civil Surgeon Office of Satkhira, a large number of illegal clinics and diagnostic centres have been set up near the government hospital and the upazila health complex of Satkhira. Without following the rules and maintaining the minimum standards, the owners of those clinics and diagnostic centres were engaged in the booming business right under the noses of the authorities concerned.
An official of the Civil Surgeon Office is learnt to be the kingpin of the illegal trades. Under his directives, most of the clinics and the diagnostic centres of the district were harassing the patients, and their guardians and misappropriating a huge sum of money from their possession through various crooked ways.
According to sources, before setting up any clinic or diagnostic centre, a trade licence is necessary from the concerned Municipality of the Union Parishad. The clinics or diagnostic centres should have the required numbers of physicians, nurses, technologists and the necessary equipment.
Moreover, licences from the Department of Health, the Department of Environment and the Fire Service are needed to be procured for opening a clinic or diagnostic centre. In addition, the organisation requires a Drug licence, Narcotics license, a Nuclear Radiation permit and VAT and TIN certificates.
After procuring all the documents mentioned above, an application for opening the clinic or diagnostic centre should be submitted to the authorities concerned. But, in most of the clinics and diagnostic centres, the rules are not being followed.
Also by defying the rules that the non-governmental clinics and diagnostic centres should not be set up within 500 yards of the government hospitals, most of those organisations have been set up adjacent to the government Sadar Hospital, Upazila Health complexes and the Medical College Hospitals.
Those clinics and diagnostics have some chambers with the signs of renowned specialist doctors and surgeons but in reality, those doctors never showed up there. Complex operations of the patients are conducted there through the part-time surgeons and the patients are charged exorbitant amount of fees.
There are regular complaints of the death of patients due to wrong treatment in those clinics. In addition to the district town, many of such illegal clinics and diagnostic centres have been set up at Tala, Kalaroa, Patkelghata, Budhata, Kullarmore, Ashasuni, Debhata, Kaliganj and Shyamnagar. These clinics have no ambulances, no Anaesthesia doctor, no system of Oxygen supply, and no trained Nurses.
As no step is being taken against these illegal clinics and diagnostics, the number of such organisations is increasing day by day. It is alleged, some dishonest officials of the Department of Health are involved with these organisations that is why no step is being taken against those.
According to the district Civil Surgeon Office, there are 206 clinics and diagnostic centres in seven upazilas of the district. Moreover, there are 100 more clinics elsewhere. Of those clinics, 125 have applied for the renewal of the licenses. Of the 125 clinics, only 21 clinics have the proper documents while the rest have no proper documents.
