Labaid calls patients to govt kiosk despite ‘charging high for home collection’ in Narayanganj

Although Labaid Hospital in Narayanganj allegedly overcharged patients with Covid-19-like symptoms for collecting samples from their homes, they asked them to give samples going to a government booth.   

In an incident of deception, the private hospital took Tk4,000 from Zahidul Islam for collecting his sample from home, but the hospital's technician Jony called him for giving his sample going to a booth located on the ground floor of the newly-built CGM (chief judicial magistrate court) building in Kalirbazar intersection in the city. 

Sample collection for coronavirus tests has been going on in the booth since July 1 at Tk200 in fee as per the government's directive. Jony also used to work in the booth upon permission from the district civil surgeon office.

Zahidul Islam said the hospital authorities told him that Labaid Hospital owns the sample-collection booth.

Being informed, Civil Surgeon Dr Imtiaz Ahmed along with Dr Zahidul Islam, the district coronavirus focal person, visited the booth and found the authenticity of the hospital's fraudulence.

They found samples of three patients, including Zahidul Islam of Labaid Hospital, were collected in the booth on Tuesday. 

Later, the hospital authorities apologised for their misdeed. 

In this regard, Labaid Narayanganj Branch Executive (administration) Tanvir Alam said their samples were supposed to be collected from home. But since the patients did not agree to give samples from home, they took samples taking them to the government booth. 

In this case, the civil surgeon came to their hospital branch and instructed them to stop collecting samples.

The district civil surgeon office sent a letter to the Narayanganj branch of Labaid Hospital to this end.