Kidney patients, attendants stage demo at Ctg medical  

Kidney patients and their relatives staged a demonstration at Chattogram Medical College Hospital on Sunday by confining its director Brigadier General Shamim Ahsan for about an hour in protest against the unusual hike in kidney dialysis service fees. 

Sandor, an India-based contractual dialysis service provider at the hospital, had two slabs of fees– one is a subsidised rate of Tk510 and another one Tk2,785 excluding subsidy. 

However, under the management of CMCH, all types of patients used to undergo dialysis sessions at Tk510. But from 1 January, Sandor set a uniform rate of Tk2,935. 

The patients and attendants started demanding a reduction in the dialysis fee from Saturday.

Due to the inaction of the authorities, it turned into a protest on Sunday when the agitators blocked the road to the main gate of the hospital.

They told the hospital director that since the beginning of the new year, Sandor has increased the dialysis service fee from Tk510 to Tk2,935. 

It was difficult for the critical patients to pay the higher amount of fees. But Brigadier General Shamim Ahsan told the patients and their relatives that he had nothing to do about it.

"Those who cannot afford to go to private hospitals for sudden kidney dialysis come to the Chattogram Medical College Hospital. But now the dialysis fee has gone up by almost 475% on the pretext of not getting government subsidy which is inhumane," Feroze Ahmad, an attendant, told The Business Standard.

"Sandor has been providing dialysis services at Chattogram Medical College Hospital for the last two years. I now have to pay Tk2,935 for the dialysis instead of the previous Tk510 and the fee was low largely due to the government subsidy." Zahirul Islam, a patient said.

When asked, Brigadier General Shamim Ahsan said that until now, kidney patients were given dialysis services at a subsidised rate. The health ministry used to pay the subsidy to Sandor. But they have accumulated a lot of outstanding payments over the last few years.

"As a result, they (Sandor) have increased the service charges. We have informed the matter to higher authorities," he said.

"Until the issue is settled, we have nothing to do. We are trying to provide dialysis services to some of the patients from the patient welfare organisation at a lower cost.'' 

However, affected patients and their relatives said that about 6,000 patients receive dialysis services at CMCH every year. About 100 to 120 patients receive services daily. But due to the increase in fees, less than half of the patients are able to avail of this service. If this problem is not addressed immediately, the lives of the patients will be in danger.

Kidney Dialysis Center of CMCH started operation in 2017 under a public-private partnership (PPP). Currently, the center is running with 31 machines. Indian company Sandor has signed a 10-year contract with the health ministry to provide services at the centre using the government space.