Ministry urges media not to run news

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today requested the media not to publish any news on the initiative to introduce private practice in public hospitals "until further announcement".

The ministry issued a press release in this regard after the committee, formed to set guidelines for the private practice initiative at public hospitals for three hours, ended its fourth meeting yesterday without finalising the procedure.

On January 22, Health Minister Zahid Maleque announced that the government will arrange chambers for public hospital physicians to serve patients after office hours at their workplaces from March 1.

To implement the plan, the ministry also formed a 26-member committee led by Saidur Rahman, additional secretary (administration) at the health ministry, which is still working to finalise a guideline titled "institutional practice guideline" in this regard.

A number of media outlets also published the draft guidelines, highlighting the fees of the physicians serving during the private sessions.

"Such news is creating confusion among people [on the initiative]," reads the press release.

"The committee, in fact, is still working on it. Neither the fees, whether it be Tk 300 or Tk 150, nor the number of public hospitals or healthcare centres where this will be implemented has been fixed yet."