THE death of a patient at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital on May 13 after a trolley man allegedly removed her oxygen support for another patient whose family had paid Tk 200 in bribe reveals the horrifying state of public healthcare services. The allegation that a hospital staff member disconnected oxygen support from a critically ill woman, struggling to breathe, exposes not only individual cruelty but a deep-rooted culture of corruption, extortion and moral collapse in public hospitals. The authorities have suspended the accused and formed an investigation committee, but such routine administrative responses ring hollow when similar incidents continue to repeat. Only days earlier, a seven-month-old child died in Dhaka Medical College Hospital after a broker allegedly disconnected the baby’s oxygen mask to pressure the family into transferring the child to a private clinic. Before that, a teenage boy died in Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital after a ward boy had removed his oxygen mask because the victim’s family could not satisfy his demand for money. The incidents are too frequent to be dismissed as isolated personal misconduct. They, instead, reveal the degeneration of ethics in the healthcare system, where vulnerable patients are treated as opportunities for illicit earnings.
The incidents also expose the unchecked influence of brokers and corrupt support staff operating inside public hospitals, where mostly low-income people go for treatment. The pesky presence of brokers has for long turned healthcare facilities into places of harassment, intimidation and exploitation. Patients and their relatives, already burdened by fear and uncertainty, are routinely coerced into paying bribes for beds, tests, transport and, even, basic treatment. The unholy nexus between brokers, dishonest staff and private healthcare facilities has over the years created a parallel system of profiteering within public hospitals. What is more disturbing is that such practices have become almost normalised despite repeated complaints and media reports. The authorities often react only after some horrifying incidents or public outrage, forming committees and issuing suspension orders. Such measures rarely translate into structural reforms. The absence of effective monitoring, the failure to enforce professional ethics and the culture of impunity have emboldened errant staff and outsiders alike. The degradation of service delivery in public hospitals has, thus, reached a point where families seeking treatment fear the predatory behaviour of those entrusted with care. The continued tolerance of such conditions erodes public trust in state institutions and disproportionately victimises the poor.
The government must, therefore, recognise that such incidents are symptoms of systemic failure. While thorough investigations and visible punishment of the accused are necessary, they alone will not restore discipline and humanity in public hospitals. The authorities must dismantle broker networks, strengthen oversight, ensure accountability and introduce strict monitoring of support staff and emergency services.
