Doctors paying bribes to get jobs: TIB

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has found allegations of “corruption and irregularities” in the ad-hoc recruitment of doctors and officials in the health sector.

The Berlin-based watchdog on Thursday said doctors recruited on ad-hoc basis had to pay between Tk 0.3 million to Tk 0.5 million.

The ruling Awami League in its last tenure recruited more than 4,500 doctors on ad-hoc basis.

TIB, however, did not specify how many doctors paid money to get jobs and to whom the bribes were paid.

The report accused members of the ruling Awami League’s doctors’ group, Swachip, field level officials, office assistance and administrative officials of taking the money for ‘managing’ the job.

The accusation has been made based on a ‘focus group discussion (FGD)’ of 36 people involved in this sector and one to one interview of some key informants related to the health sector.

It’s Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman at a press briefing said they would not give any specific names. “It’s not our mandate. It’s a qualitative report that we put forward for consideration and necessary actions”.

TIB came up with these findings in its report on ‘challenges of the health sector’s governance and way out’ that identified a plethora of irregularities plaguing the health sector for decades.

TIB says lack of governance, implementation of laws and politics stand in the way of removing corruption and irregularities from health sector.

Swachip Secretary General Prof Iqbal Arslan, however, wants specific names of those people who allegedly taken bribes.

“The (TIB) report is partly true,” he told bdnews24.com.

“During the recruitment, I heard officials from different levels are collecting money. Even the people from the ministry are involved. But who took it, we could not specify,” he said.

TIB says class one to class four officials in the health sector paid Tk 0.1 million to Tk 0.5 million for their jobs.

It also found allegations of paying money between Tk 0.5 million to Tk 1 million during the departmental promotions of doctors that the bureaucrats regulate.

It recommended 17 measures to rectify the problems in the crucial sector.

Recommendations include making public a data-base of doctors with their degrees and to provide proper housing facilities for doctors at their rural workstations to retain them in the post.