KMCH service to patients
Medical reps take doctors� time off duty hours
Defying ban, medical representatives enter the hospital before 1pm and stay there for hours
GAZI MONIRUZZAMAN, Khulna
Representatives of different medicine companies enter doctors chambers at the state-run Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) during the outdoor hours despite the government restriction hampering health services to patients. Apart from imposing ban on the medical representatives entry into the hospital before 1:00 pm, the Superintendent of the hospital advised the doctors not to meet them during the duty hours. But none of them is following it. As a result, the patients, particularly the outdoor patients, are being deprived of proper treatment.
On condition of anonymity, a KMCH official said, The patients cannot talk to their doctors freely because of the rush of medical representatives of different pharmaceutical companies. The official also said, Doctors receive different gift items from the medical representatives, so they do not take permission before entering a doctors room. This malpractice has long been going on in the KMCH. ometimes, many of the representatives pass their times by gossiping with the nurse and other official staff of the hospital during the office hours hampering medical service to the patients.
Many affected patients and their attendants said the medical representatives even stay in the chambers of doctors for hours. They often advise the doctors to prescribe medicines of their respective companies.
Seeking anonymity, a representative of a pharmaceutical company said, We meet the doctors after 1:00 pm as per instruction. But sometimes we meet them before time, as they call us, he added.
Khulna Medical College Hospital, only popular public hospital of greater Khulna region, was established on the KDA by-pass road under Sonadanga police station in the city in 1988 and started functioning with 250 beds. It was elevated to 500 beds in 2004.
Chairperson of Nagorik Forum, Khulna Sheikh Abdul Qaiyum alleged, There is a rat race between medical representatives to lure doctors into prescribing their drugs in a bid to promote their companies which has plagued KMCH.
He also alleged, Doctors take expensive cell phone, clothes, colour televisions, computers, refrigerator, air conditions, air tickets to attend seminar home and abroad, and even cash to purchase cars. Sometimes they get so avaricious that they even take foreign cosmetics for their spouses from medical representatives. Even the doctors get a large quantity of sample medicines from the representatives, which they later sell to drug stores. Most of the doctors get convinced by those medical representatives and prescribe the drugs manufactured by their companies.
The medical representatives also try to convince nurses and ward boys, who have links with the doctors, for promoting their business, Qaiyum further alleged.
Former president of Conscious Citizen Committee (CCC), Khulna district unit Prof Zafar Iman said, There is a nefarious nexus between doctors and medical representatives of different pharmaceutical companies. This very immoral practice should be stopped and action should be taken against the doctors and medical representatives.
Besides, the representatives also disturb the patients when they go to pharmacies for purchase of medicine. When a customer go to the pharmacies, the representatives took the prescription from him or her and check it whether the doctors, who has received gifts from him, prescribes the medicines of his companies or not, further alleged Prof Zafar.
Superintendent of KMCH, Dr Anando Mohon Saha said, Entry of medical representatives into doctors chambers before 1:00 pm is strictly prohibited. If this rule is violated, necessary action would be taken against the concerned doctors, he warned.
Dr Anando further said, We have strengthened our internal monitoring system, our people now go to outdoor physicians in guise of patients to monitor if they are indulging in such immoral practices.
