Information Minister Hasan Mahmud has said private hospitals are demanding “prohibitive” amounts of money from the government for treatment of COVID-19 patients.
“It’s hard to call a hospital a hospital if it is operated only for commercial purposes,” Hasan Mahmud said while handing virus protective gear to the leaders of Dhaka Union of Journalists in the capital on Saturday, reports bdnews24.com.
“It is unfortunate that the private hospitals have not stepped forward as expected during an epidemic,” he said, referencing to reports that some hospitals denied patients treatment.
“And they are asking for abnormal amounts of money when we ask them to treat coronavirus patients. A 200-bed hospital has sought Tk 170 million a month plus the cost of housing and meals of the doctors and nurses, which is abnormal,” the minister said.
But there are some exceptions, he said and thanked the hospitals that continued treating patients.
Hasan, who also works as a joint general secretary of the ruling Awami League, slated the BNP for criticising the government’s coronavirus response.
He said the death toll from COVID-19 in Bangladesh was lower than those in the US and Europe.
“Even the World Health Organization, World Economic Forum and renowned magazines like Forbes and The Economist have lauded us. Only the BNP can’t find praise us” Hasan said.