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Graft, politics push hospital into sickbed

Mahbuba Zannat
Partisan politics of doctors and government's interference plunged the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) into a vicious cycle of immoral practices that earned it the name 'hospital of corruption'.
During the tenure of Awami League (AL) in 1998 the then Institute of Post Graduate Medicine and Research (IPGMR) was made a medical university for research and improvement of medical education in the country.
Pro BNP-Jamaat doctors' orgnisation
Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) and pro Awami League (AL) body of the doctors Swadhinata Chikitshak Parishad (SCP) used the university as a means of making some quick bucks and promoting their party men.
During the tenure of the interim caretaker government when politicians arrested on corruption charges were detained at the BSMMU a good number of doctors there overtly provided illegal facilities to detained politicians to get their blessings.
Many corrupt politicians were granted bail
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court with fake medical certificates given by BSMMU doctors.
Such portrayals of Irregular ities, corruption and politicisation figured in the reports of several investigations of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The ACC investigated several allegations against the last BNP Jamaat alliance government and found many DAB leaders’ involvement in financial scams.
Appointments and promotion of teachers and staffs also witnessed widespread irregularities and corruption.
The government-formed probe committee at that time also found irregularities of more than Tk 8 crore at the BSMMU.
Despite being the SCP president. Prof Quaderi, the first vice chancellor, had to struggle to develop the university as the pro-AL doctors kept putting pressure upon him for undue facilities.
He, however, initiated new postgraduate medical course curriculum designed in the light of All India Institute of Medical Science.
"His introduction of a new procurement policy reduced corruption considerably in the departments as it approved only the equipment needed," said a group of senior teachers.
A group of members of the University Teachers' Association had continued to oppose him for their petty personal interest. At one stage he stepped down in January 2001, saying he would compete in the parliamentary election.
Prof Mohammad Tahir replaced him being appointed as the acting VC on the basis of seniority, but within a very short time the then AL government appointed Prof Mahmud Hasan the VC depriving Prof Tahir.
But no sooner had Prof Mahmud been appointed than the BNP-led four- party alliance took over and started reshuffling the administration at its will, forcing Mahmud to say good-bye in November 2001.
Then Prof MA I ladi came to the scene as the new'VC with a mission to indulge in petty party interests in collusion with the pro-BNPDAB members.
With Hadi stepping in, wholesale politicisation of the institution--from appointment to promotion and pro-curement--set in motion, which the investigation com-
mittee formed on May 6, 2007 revealed in its report.
When he resigned in December 2006 to compete in the ninth parliamentary poll. Prof Tahir who was the pro-VC during the tenure of Prof I ladi took the charge and later he was appointed as the VC.
But Prof Tahir also indulged in wholesale corruption and irregularities.
Disregarding the university ordinance, a large number of incompetent and ineligible teachers were recruited during his tenure through a nexus between the university authorities and DAB doubling the number of employees unnecessarily.
The master plan prepared between 1998 and 2001 that included infrastructure development for providing lifesaving emergency treatment facilities has still remained elusive.
Under such circumstances the caretaker government finally set up a new administration with Prof Nazrul Islam as the VC, Prof Chowdhury Ali Kawser and Mohammad Kamal as the pro-VCs, and Prof Ruhul Amin Mia as the treasurer in November last year.
"As no elected government has ever been able to free this autonomous body from politicisation it was the caretaker government that appointed some administrative high-ups having no political affiliation," said a senior faculty member preferring anonymity.