Brokers turned surgeons: Shocker at Shyamoli hospital triggers government crackdown from Tuesday

The government has announced a crackdown on private hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centres across the country to ensure quality medical services and root out systemic irregularities.

The move follows a direct intervention by Health Minister Sakhawat Husain Bakul, who ordered the immediate sealing of Doctors Care Hospital and Diagnostic in the city's Shyamoli area on Monday afternoon, bdnews24.com reports. 

The minister said the drive will initially focus on hospitals in the Shyamoli to Asadgate area, before gradually expanding across the capital and the entire country.

The minister’s action was triggered by an investigative report by private television station Jamuna TV, which revealed that individuals with no medical background, including an eighth-grade graduate, were posing as orthopaedic surgeons and performing operations at the facility.

The television report exposed a horrifying reality: surgeries at the Shymoli hospital were being conducted by hospital brokers and staff members from various doctors' chambers rather than qualified professionals.

While visiting the hospital, Bakul spoke with admitted patients and their distraught relatives.

Several victims gathered at the hospital to lodge formal complaints as soon as the minister arrived.

"I have taken notes of everything. We will take strict legal action against those involved," the minister told reporters.

Teams from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will inspect facilities based on a strict checklist of approvals and standards.

Following the order to seal Doctors Care Hospital, Bakul coordinated the transfer of its current patients to specialised public facilities.

Accompanying the minister, DGHS Director General Pravath Chandra Biswas clarified that the primary objective of the drive is to ensure service quality, not just to close businesses.