The owners of private clinics and hospitals in Rajshahi city on Wednesday evening announced suspension of all kinds of surgeries from Thursday (21 September).
At a press conference, Bangladesh Private Hospital, Clinic, and Diagnostic Owner’s Association general secretary Mokhlesur Rahman said that the surgeries at 33 clinics and hospitals in Rajshahi city would be suspended for the time being following their disputes with the anaesthesiologists.
Mokhlesur Rahman said that they urged the anaesthesiologists to increase their fees by 41 per cent but the latters demanded that the fees must be doubled. ‘We have sat with them on several occasions, sent letters but they did not pay any heed to our proposals. Rather, they threatened not to take part in any surgery,’ he added.
Mokhlesur Rahman said that the medical expenses would increase if they implemented the increased fees proposed by the anaesthesiologists.
Md Khizir Hossain, general secretary of the Rajshahi unit of the Bangladesh Society of Anaesthesiologists, Critical Care and Pain Physicians, told New Age that their honorarium was increased in 2016.He said that the private clinic and hospital owner’s association proposed to increase their honorarium by Tk 200 but they found it inadequate.
Mentioning that they never wanted double fees, Khizir Hossain alleged that the hospital and clinic authorities used to collect money from the patients in their names but provided them a little of it. ‘We have demanded the money the owners take from the patients in our names which aggrieved them,’ he said.
