In Bangladesh when a patient sees a doctor s/he has to pay very high fees. A top bureaucrat of the government gets Tk 78,000 as monthly salary at a rate of Tk 2,600 per day. In the same country a specialised doctor earns at least Tk 10,000 per day in addition to his monthly salary from a regular employment at a public hospital. Considering the income structure of the country, more than Tk 200 should not be charged from a patient even though the doctor concerned has a specialised degree. A doctor in this way can earn Tk 100,000 in 25 working days in a month in addition to his/her regular salary and other service benefits per month.
The government fixed professional fees of doctors a couple of decades ago and in the manner fees for doctors should be updated and reintroduced. At the same time, the government should ensure enforcement of such fees. The present private practice fees were fixed by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) authorities for their doctors and the same can be fixed for different categories of doctors for private practice. The fees so fixed should be well publicised by print and electronic media. Any violation thereof should be strongly dealt with. This would help most of the patients get health services at affordable costs.
Md. Ashraf Hossain
House-4, Road-6,
Sector-28, Bank Town,
Savar Municipality, Dhaka.
