Regent amassed nearly Tk 20m from fake COVID-19 tests

The authorities of Regent Hospital have submitted a bill of Tk 19.6 million to the health directorate after duping nearly 6,000 patients out of Tk 20.1 million by issuing fake COVID-19 tests reports, according to the Rapid Action Battalion.

The authorities have shut down the headquarters and branch of Regent Hospital in Dhaka’s Uttara over the scam. They later sealed off the private hospital's branch in Mirpur on Wednesday, reports bdnews24.com.

The Rapid Action Battalion has also launched a manhunt for the hospital’s chairman, Mohammad Shahed, in a case started over alleged irregularities, including the refusal to renew its licence despite reminders.

The hospital began treating COVID-19 patients in March after signing a deal with the government, but it had no permission to run RT-PCR tests for coronavirus.

Although it was supposed to provide free treatment for the coronavirus infection, every patient was reportedly charged between Tk 3,000 and 4,000. If any patient raised questions over the cost of treatment, they would be met with threats from the hospital's chairman, the RAB said in the case.

The hospital subsequently submitted a bill of Tk 19.6 million to the health directorate on July 1, collected from unsuspecting patients in the name of COVID-19 tests. The RAB initiated the case against Shahed and 16 others with Uttara West Police Station.

The law enforcers showed arrested eight people who were detained in the operations on Monday