Key questions go unanswered over COVID-19 treatment at private hospitals

The government has begun giving permission to private hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients, but many vital questions have remained unanswered.

The public hospitals are providing coronavirus treatment for free, but it is unclear how much cost the government will share with the patients of the private hospitals, how the hospitals will manage the treatment and how they will coordinate with the government.

The private hospitals say they need the government’s support to treat COVID-19 patients but their demands vary.

Health ministry officials say they will resolve the issues before the private hospitals begin treating COVID-19 patients.

Allowing the private hospitals to treat coronavirus infection is essential to give the overburdened public hospitals a breather, the officials say.

The number of known coronavirus cases in Bangladesh crossed 7,100 on Wednesday morning with hundreds of patients detected daily for the last few days. The confirmed death toll has hit 163.

Mushtuq Husain, a former chief scientific officer of the government’s disease control agency IEDCR, says the private hospitals must step forward and share the burden of coronavirus patients.

He says the hospitals that will treat COVID-19 should also have the facility to test coronavirus, otherwise the patients or samples will need to be moved.

Some of the hospitals willing to treat the disease are yet to be fully prepared while the ones that have received government permission are alleged to have been mired in mismanagement.

Health Minister Zahid Malik said his ministry has decided to strike deals with the private hospitals that want to treat COVID-19 to set the costs based on mutual interest after discussions.

The ministry’s Additional Secretary Habibur Rahman said they contacted owners of the hospitals and some of them promised to join the fight against the coronavirus on the frontline.

He said the Sajida Foundation Hospital in Keraniganj, and the Uttara and Mirpur branches of Regent Hospital in Dhaka have begun treating the patients.

Holy Family Hospital, Anwar Khan Modern Hospital, and Universal Medical College Hospital in Dhaka have finished preparations.

Evercare Hospital, formerly Apollo Hospital, Square Hospital, and United Hospital in the capital have been granted permission to run test and treat coronavirus. They will treat only inpatients.

Rows of bed are ready at the temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients at the International Convention City Bashundhara in Dhaka. Photo: Mahmud Zaman Ovi

The US-Bangla Hospital in Narayanganj’s Rupganj has been allowed to test and treat outpatients as well.

Habibur said they were also considering to grant the permission to one private hospital in each of Sylhet, Sirajganj, Rangpur and Brahmanbaria districts.

“But the government hospitals are still not fully filled. So we don’t need much help from the private hospitals now. We will talk to them if the contagion spreads further,” he said.

The work to set the treatment costs at the private hospitals was also under way.

“Some hospitals are asking for treatment costs while others want money for the health workers. But the owners would need to pay the doctors and nurses even if the hospitals are closed,” the additional secretary said.

He said the ministry will supervise the process while the hospitals themselves will conduct the treatment.

Mohammad Shahed, chairman of Regent Hospital, told bdnews24.com they were receiving equipment and drugs from the government and not charging the COVID-19 patients for beds. The patients are paying for other costs.

“We are spending a lot, at least Tk 10,000 on every patient. We are also bearing the cost of intensive care. And what we have got in return is only assurances. We haven’t received funds,” he said.

Prof MA Mubin Khan, president of Bangladesh Private Medical College Association, said he hoped the government would fix a “reasonable” cost of treatment.

“It should not be open to bargaining. We will be able to work if we get the cost of treatment,” he said.

But Prof Rashid-E-Mahbub, a health rights activist and former president of Bangladesh Medical Association, believes it will be difficult for the private hospitals to continue treatment of COVID-19 patients because most of them do not have doctors on their permanent payroll.

“How will they provide treatment if they don’t have doctors?” he asked.