To ensure optimum health for the masses, the government will invest in the public sector. As a result, an opportunity has been created to provide free diagnostic and surgery facilities for patients. However, sometimes the public hospitals cannot provide 24-hour support and patients are forced to go to private hospitals and incur huge expenses.
In such circumstances, relevant people are looking into the possibility of providing 24-hour service at public hospitals.
President of the Bangladesh Health Rights Movement, Professor Dr Rashid E Mahbub told Bangla Tribune, “The labs of public hospitals should remain open 24 hours.”
Once private hospitals used to take help from public ones, he lamented.
The government has to invest to have 24-hour service, he added.
He also suggested developing a central laboratory which will be able to provide service round the clock.
“If such a facility exists then after normal working hours, specimen can be sent and results obtained via e-mail.”
Director of Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, Dr Uttam Kumar Barua, says, “The government can look into running a diagnostic service even on holidays; but for this, manpower needs to be ramped up.”