Monday | 7 October 2024 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Monday | 7 October 2024 | Epaper

Medical negligence, patient safety and job satisfaction

Published : Sunday, 3 January, 2021 at 12:00 AM  Count : 528
ZUBAIR KHALED HUQ
ZUBAIR KHALED HUQ

ZUBAIR KHALED HUQ

The Medical profession is one of the noblest professions in the world. They are required to possess a particular level of learning, knowledge, expertise and skill. They also have to maintain a reasonable degree of care and caution, while performing their duty. Patients are the most important classes of consumers. Patient's rights have to be taken into account seriously.    

Sometimes the role of some health care professionals is unexpected and patients are seen or treated what is expected. Few hospital malpractices cause injury and deaths. We see people suffer and sometimes die because of medical malpractice. Hospitals, clinics without a license, proper equipment is being unearthed time and again.

According to the Blumberg report COVID- 19, containment capacity for Bangladesh is placed on 20th position. In the South-East Asia region, we are in the first position. The disparity in number of doctor-patient is big. Investment in the health sector is one of the lowest. Still, the death rate for us is one of the lowest. Unfortunately, we frequently listen about violence against doctors across the country. Doctors are attacked in the workplace, where they are supposed to be safe, respected. They are physically assaulted in their own office can seriously dampen their spirit for service.     

The doctor-patient relationship is one of the most unique and privileged relationships based on mutual trust. But presently there is a great decline in this relationship which might be due to the communication gap between them, commercialization of health services, increased consumer awareness and finally nonexistence of particular law on medical negligence in our country--except for some scattered civil and criminal laws. However, mistakes of medical professionals which may result in the death of a person or cause permanent impairment can be particularly costly and cannot be overlooked.      

Law does not aim to punish doctors for all their mistakes, but only to those which are committed out of negligence. Mistakes occur, but which occurs from carelessness and negligence cannot be let off. In order to avoid future death related to medical negligence, policy and practices need to be strengthened. The role of Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council (BMDC) is very important for ensuring the patient's rights. Eventually, we hope and believe that the new proposed enactment relating to medical negligence and our reform proposals and social movement can diminish the medical negligence in Bangladesh.       

There should be stringent statutory provisions and deterrent action. The health policy should help the poor and ailing masses. In a pandemic situation where health care and hospital services are in demand, medical negligence is an issue that cannot be treated lightly. There needs to be a complete overhaul of the methods of testing for medical products, drugs and devices.        

The Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Labs (Regulation) Ordinance 1982 has given supervisory powers to the director-general of health services. The director-general of health services or any other officer authorized by him shall have the authority to inspect any chamber of a registered medical practitioner, private clinic, private hospital or pathological laboratory whether they have failed to comply with any provision of this ordinance. In case they have contravened any provision of this ordinance a medical practitioner can be dismissed from carrying on medical private practice; in case of the private clinic or private hospital, their licence can be cancelled; and in case of a pathological laboratory, it can be close down.    

On the other hand, there are many selfless service providers in this noble profession, saving humanity, staying close to their patients in their sorrow and joy, caring and sharing with them leaving back the near and dear ones. In this noble profession, many are serving humanity, with morality, enthusiasm, honour and dignity. Those who are abiding by the law, maintaining principles surely deserve appreciation. The main problem the profession faces is that it is becoming too costly and expensive for the poor, lower middle class. Only upper middle classes along with richer classes can afford to bear medical expenses.    

At times, we see in media doctors could not be found in their duty station. In the case of hospitals, doctors and staff do continuous roster duty, after that they can take rest and refresh in doing the highly technically skilful job. Recently we have seen several emergency duty doctors being attacked while attending patients. While a doctor attends an emergency patient, so many attendants surround him. For that matter, not a single person is allowed in the examination room, so the doctor can work in a cool mind. If at least emergency rooms of hospitals, can be protected by members from law enforcing agency can ensure security for all.   

It is a matter of concern as the ratio between the doctors and patients has a wide gap.  Still, doctors are trying their best to serve people. But the doctors must not lose hope. There is no shortage of development agenda in the health sector, it is on the doctors to pay back the debt they have, and only by serving the patients can fulfil all demands.

There are a lot of fields to improve. Who could do better research than a doctor? Research works are going on. Post-graduation study is determined to develop most skilful doctors. Post-graduation opportunity is very limited considering the number of physicians entering into the job market from different government and private medical colleges.  We are often unable to provide the best to our patients considering inadequate structures in the peripheral rural areas of Bangladesh. So anyone entering the profession needs to be aware of the challenges.       

Along with doctors for proper health care management, laboratory technician numbers should be raised. In the government sector, we see physicians being transferred on a regular basis for the public interest; this practice should also be implemented for all other hospital staffs, so that no one can do any unholy work, being accustomed to the locality. Health service should be diversified and work of teaching, hospital administration and clinicians should be separated, so that each and every one should have separate career planning from the beginning. There will be no frustration among them, which can impact their service.        

Patient-friendly atmosphere will have to be created in all the hospitals of the country. Here is a problem that should be urgently taken care of. In government hospitals all over the country, poor patients, even serious ones with life-threatening conditions, usually go for treatment, often there are instances that they are paid little attention by some health professionals including doctors, nurses and other staffs, and on the contrary, there are many good Samaritans who devote their time for the need of humanity. There are diligent workers as well, who are doing wonderful jobs as always, we salute those valiant fighters for humanity.       

Sometimes health care providers face objectionable behaviour, yet these people are there to give service to these patients. We should also highlight the good deeds and successful achievements by many unsung heroes of this profession whose moral principle is still very high.    

From the beginning, new doctors will take up this noble and pious profession with an outlook to serve the society in such a manner that common citizens, especially those who are very poor, get their service thankfully. The speedy cure of people takes place when the physicians concerned are more serious about the speedy recovery of their patients on account of prolonged or short ailments. If the medical professionals are more dedicated to rural belt and poorer classes then the amount of respect which doctors will receive is beyond the expectations.                                                                                                                                
Dr Zubair Khaled Huq, Family Medicine, Gerontology, Public Health Specialist






LATEST NEWS
MOST READ
Also read
Banning outdoor New Year parties
BAC in higher education in Bangladesh
It's time to end the bloodshed in Yemen
Plastic waste threatens environment and biodiversity
Fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory export control is an important guarantee for globalization
Rapists still having a field day in Bangladesh
Int’l cooperation with BRI
Olaf Scholz: Agenda of Germany’s new leader
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: info©dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
🔝