OGSB Hospital grows on quality healthcare at low cost
Ruma Begum, a resident of Mirpur 10, needed to urgently hospitalise her eight-month pregnant daughter-in-law Rumana Afrose when she suddenly started having labour pains. Ruma inquired at some hospitals and found that it would cost at least Tk15,000-20,000 for a normal delivery. Advised by neighbours, she admitted Rumana to the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh (OGSB) Hospital, where she had to pay only Tk10,000 and it covered all the expenses – childbirth, hospital bills and medicines.
But, the danger was far from over for Ruma Begum's family as the prematurely born baby had to be kept in the new-born intensive care unit (NICU) for six days. The bill was Tk40,000 and they got a discount of Tk4,000.
Ruma took her grandson home on Monday.
"My grandson survived thanks to the low cost of treatment at this hospital. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for my son who is a shopkeeper to pay Tk10,000-15,000 per day for the NICU," Ruma told The Business Standard.
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Patients are satisfied with the low cost medical treatment at the OGSB Hospital, located on an acre of land in Mirpur 17.
The Directorate General of Health Services gave a 5-star facility certificate to OGSB Hospital and Institute of Reproductive and Child Health in February this year for doing extremely well in providing maternal and new-born health care.
All types of gynaecological operations, including normal delivery, caesarean delivery, and laparoscopy, are done at relatively low costs in the hospital. Besides, it offers various services free of charge such as adolescent and new-born health care, VIA test for cervical cancer diagnosis and family planning services.
There is a medicine shop next to the reception desk and an ANC corner on the ground floor of the 5-storey hospital. The outdoor section, VIA centre and operating theatres are on the second floor. The rest of the floors house the wards, cabins and the NICU. The hospital is neat and clean with open spaces all around.
The flow of patients in the 150-bed hospital is, however, very low.
Officials at the hospital said some 35-40 patients are admitted there while some 80-100 people take services outdoors every day. On special days like 21 February, Women's Day, Bangabandhu's birthday, the number of outdoor patients increases as free treatment and medicines are provided.
Brig Gen Sirajul Kadir (retd), director, OGSB Hospital, told The Business Standard, "We have the capacity to serve more patients. Due to a lack of publicity, our hospitals have fewer patients. In fact, our patients promote our hospital. Those who go back after getting good service at low cost are the ones who tell other patients about this hospital."
Sirajul Kadir added, "We do not turn away any patients. Discounts are given to poor patients according to their means. Those who do not have money to buy medicine are given money to buy medicine from the Zakat fund in the hospital."
He added that the hospital authorities send the names and numbers of those who are given a discount to the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health verifies the information.
"More than Tk5 lakh in discount is given every month," he said.
Rumana Begum, a coaching centre teacher who came to have her four-month-old daughter see a paediatrician, told The Business Standard, "I took pregnancy care in this hospital. The doctors tried for a normal delivery but were forced to go for the caesarean section. I spent a total of Tk40,000, including the cost of the caesarean section, medicines and hospital bills for three days."
Rumana also said, "Today I saw a consultant for only Tk250. You cannot see a specialist at such a low cost in any other private hospital."
10-bed NICU for premature new-borns
Dr Suman Parves, consultant, paediatrics, said, "Our NICU has modern equipment. Here NICU charges only Tk5-6,000 per day, compared to Tk10,000-20,000 in other private hospitals. As the cost is low, babies from other hospitals are kept here as well."
The patient can take the services of gynaecologists and paediatricians for Tk200-350 every day from 8am to 2pm in the outdoor area of the hospital. In the afternoon, senior professors see referred patients at low cost.
Patients' feedback used to improve hospital's services
When a patient goes home after treatment at OGSB hospital, he has to fill in a form. The form contains 11 questions on hospital environment, quality of service, behaviour of doctors, whether he has faced any problems, and what should be done to improve quality. Based on the answers to these questions from patients, the problems of the hospital are solved and the staff are awarded at the end of the year.
"I know what I need to have from the patients. Patients wrote on the form about mosquito infestation in the hospital. Then I bought a fogger machine. I judge doctors and other staff through the eyes of patients," said Sirajul Kadir.
OGSB society manages the hospital
The journey of OGSB began in 1972 to support helpless women and reduce maternal mortality in post-war Bangladesh. Since then, the organisation has been working to improve women's health. OGSB is the only society in Bangladesh which has built a hospital with its own money. OGSB established the first hospital in Mirpur-1 in 1995. There, low-income people are given medical services at low cost. Later in 2011, this hospital with 150 beds was established on an acre of land in Mirpur-17.
Professor Sameena Chowdhury, chairman of the hospital, told The Business Standard, "It is a non-profit hospital which allows us to provide treatment at low cost. All 2500 members of OGSB contribute to the hospital. But senior members contribute more. The senior members contribute the money they get from various training programmes to the hospital fund. The government also helps us to some extent. Besides, the members support the nursing students by giving money to the Poor Fund of the Nursing Institute of OGSB."
