Commission agents of physicians and clinics have long been dominating the premises of the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, causing severe
difficulties to the patients and their attendants.
Sources in the hospital said assistants and agents of the doctors and clinics receive a huge amount of money from the patients and their attendants, referring them to certain clinics and pathological laboratories for various medical tests, prescribed unnecessarily.
The agents take positions at any place of private-run hospitals, bus stands, railway stations and many other places to grab the patients and take them to their respective clinics or private chamber of some physicians.
The patients and their attendants, coming from different rural areas, become confused as the agents, on behalf of their clinics and physicians, say that their clinics and physicians are much better than others.
The first hurdle a patient has to cross outside the chambers of most physicians at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital are the agents who offer to fix appointments with the specialists — of course for a cut.
There have even been cases in which patients were not admitted to private clinics, run by some physicians, because the patients did not come through the agents, while the regular patients burn a hole in their pockets paying the middlemen.
During spot a visit, New Age correspondent found several dozens of these agents staying at the main gate and other entrances to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
Their modus operandi is simple: at the sight of patients, the agents surround them and ‘advise’ them against getting admitted to the hospital since healthcare isn’t a priority for the physicians there, New Age correspondent observed.
Thereafter, the agents ‘suggest’ many clinics with top-of-the-line facilities and 24-hour presence of specialist physicians and nurses at a ‘reasonable cost’, sources at several government hospitals said.
Since most patients, or their family members and attendants, are ignorant about medical details, the pressure tactic acts in many cases and the patients often approach the private clinics in desperation, relatives of many victimised patients confirmed.
Sources said many physicians of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and other government hospitals in Rajshahi carry out private practice at clinics, and authorities at these clinics appoint the agents to get patients for a commission.
The New Age has learnt that many government physicians with private practice and owners of the clinics they work in have given the agents printed cards.
But sources said once a patient is admitted to a clinic or visits a doctor, the clinic authorities or the doctor takes away the agent’s card to hide their association with the agent, as also to pay the agent his/her commission.
A woman agent can be seen sitting outside a doctor’s chamber at RMCH near the outdoor patient’s ward.
Any patient approaching the woman will be told that the doctor is busy but the patient can consult him at his private chamber.
The woman was caught by the police on several occasions but to no avail — she can still be seen carrying out the same business outside the same doctor’s chamber.
According to sources in the hospital, the woman is paid a commission of Tk 50 per patient. Some rickshaw-pullers are also working in Rajshahi city as a commission agent of physicians.
A rickshaw puller, residing at Asam Colony in the city, told New Age that he was working in favour of a well-known gynecologist having a chamber at Zilia Medicare in the city.
‘While a female patient with his or her guardians get down from a bus or trains, I reach to them and persuade them to go to Zilia Medicare,’ he said.
Tariful Islam, from Mohadevpur in Naogaon with his ailing wife Afroza Khatun, told New Age on Thursday that they had decided to go Rajshahi Medical College Hospital but the rickshaw-puller, carrying them, influenced them to go a private clinic.
‘The physician of the clinic after visiting my wife prescribed several “unnecessary” tests which were very expensive,’ he added.
Some physicians including Rajshahi Medical College orthopedic Professor BK Dam also admitted to the problems.
He told New Age that awareness among the patients and their guardians and also civil society men should be increased to check this malpractice.
When contacted, Rajshahi Medical College Hospital director Brigadier General Saidur Rahman has told New Age the hospital authorities have set up a joint committee to stop this illegal business.
He said the vigilance team, policemen, personnel of especial branch and medical staff are also working to check the illegal practices.
-With New Age input
