Clinics in Comilla doing brisk business

Dilip Mazumdar

COMILLA, Apr 8: The diagnostic centers in Comilla district town have been doing brisk business by realizing excessive fees from patients for different medical test.
Most of the eight registered and 25 unregistered diagnostic centers in the district earn huge profit from these tests ignoring the medical ethics. These centers realize 10 to 20 times of the actual cost for a test, according to some employees of these establishment. Citing an example, an assistant of a diagnostic center told that only tk. 6 is required for blood sugar test of a patient. But a patient has to pay tk. 100 to a diagnostic center for blood sugar test only. A routine urine test involves an expenditure of less then tk. 8 only. But tk.50 to 60 is realized from a patient for urine test, he maintained.
The patients are compelled to pay very high charges for many other medical tests, according to him.
The doctors of these clinics very often advise their patients to test their blood sugar , chest, eyes, joints and other parts, many of them are unnecessary. Yet the doctors compel the patients to make these tests only for getting commission. The diagnostic centers press their appointed doctors to advise the patients for many rests with the solo motive of inflating their earnings. The owners of these diagnostic centers have to share 30 to 40 percent of their earnings from medical tests with the concerned doctors, insiders said. Allegations have it that many of the doctors of the state run hospital and health complexes in the district are associated with these diagnostic centers. They spend more time in these centers than in their hospital and health complexes.
The people of the town have urged the government to fix the rate for different teses and examinations and see to it that they are strictly implemented.

Price of rice falls sharply in N-region

RANGPUR, Apr 8: The price of rice and paddy markedly fell down in the country''s northern region last week due to higher supply and fear of tough actions against hoarding by the new government, reports BSS.
"The hoarders are selling huge rice and paddy fearing the probable actions by the democratically elected new government that has a clear determination to bring down price spirals of essentials including rice and paddy," traders said.
According to the market sources, The coarse rice is now selling at Taka 20 and Taka 21 per kg at rural markets- reasonable to the common people. The price of both coarse and fine variety of rice fell down by Taka 5.00 to Taka 7.00 per kg during the last week.
The per maund (every 40 kg) price of coarse variety and fine variety paddy also marked a sharp fall by Taka 200 per maund on an average and those were selling now at the bigger paddy markets at Taka 450 and Taka 500 respectively, traders said.
In the previous week, the prices of the same were Taka 660 (coarse) and Taka 725 (fine) per maund paddy in the region, the market sources and concerned officials said.
Dinajpur District Controller of Food Abdullah Al Mamun today told BSS that rice price of rice and paddy rose to their abnormal levels in recent past and now coming down to the tolerable level of about Taka 20 per kg.
Some whole rice-sellers, millers and retailers told BSS today that release of huge quantities of illegally hoarded rice by the dishonest traders and bumper production of T-Aman paddy this year caused the present sharp falls in rice prices.
Whole rice-sellers Lokman Ali, Hasanuzzaman, Hamidul Islam, Jahurul Islam and Mominul Islam of Rangpur Poura market said that they sold an 84-kg sack of new coarse variety of hybrid rice at Taka 1,650 today-lower than its price at Taka 220, a week ago.
The wholesale price of this variety was recorded at Taka 19.64 per kg and the retailers are selling the same at Taka 21 to Taka 22 per kg in the urban markets in the region, they added.
An 84-kg sack of BR-28 (category-1) rice was sold to the retailers at Taka 2,500 against Taka 2,700 a week ago while 84-kg sack of BR-28 (category-2) was sold at Taka 2,300 against Taka 2,500 and BR-28 (category-3) at Taka 2,200 against Taka 2,400.
Meanwhile, coarse variety rice is selling at Taka 16.50 per kg in terms of Bangladeshi currency in India today on the other side of the borders at Hilli Land Port of Dinajpur, sources at the HLP told BSS today.
Secretary of Rangpur District Rice Mill Owners'' Association Nurul Islam Babul and big farmer Mushfiqur Rahman Chowdhury at Hilli in Dinajpur today suggested that the government should take necessary steps to reduce production cost of rice.

Construction work of Aurjundara bridge progressing

Our Correspondent

KURIGRAM, Apr 8: The Construction work of Aurjundara bridge is going on in full swing in Kurigram.
The bridge has situated on the KC road under Ulipur Upazila in Kurigram district. Working of the bridge has started on February 2009. Aurjundara is a deep canal in north corner of ulipur upzilla in kurigram district. It is one of the important bridges for four upzillas in Kurigram. Eighteen corer money expended in to the bridge of Aurjundara which is task of RHD sources said.
Over thousand of people of several areas will be benefited after completion of the bridge. RHD engineer of the district A. Salam said to the News Today district correspondent that we are trying to complete the Aurjundara Bridge and open to all within short times. Locals wanted to complete the Bridge construction work quickly and its open for all of the people of Kurigram district. To smoother the transport and trade between the inter upazilas, the bridge plays a vital role.

World Health Day observed in districts

RANGPUR, April 8: The World Health Day was observed with the theme of "Save lives: Make hospitals safe in emergencies" through various programmes in Rangpur and adjoining northern districts on Tuesday, reports BSS.
Speakers in the discussion meetings organised on the occasions at the district and upazila headquarters underscored the need for reaching adequate medicare services to all citizens including the rural people to ensue health services for making a healthy nation.
The Civil Surgeon Offices, administrations, different socio- cultural bodies, NGOs and scouts chalked out elaborate programmes including colourful rallies, discussion meetings, film shows and awareness building activities in observance of the Day.
In Rangpur, Civil Surgeon Dr Shah M Rezaul Islam lee the rally that paraded the streets carrying posters and banners and was participated by officials, professionals, students, health and family planning workers, NGO activists and common people of the society.
The main discussion meeting that was held at Rangpur Sadar Hospital auditorium was chaired by the Civil Surgeon of Rangpur while Deputy Secretary and ADC (General) of Rangpur Kallol Kumar Chakroborty attended as the chief guest.
Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr Reazul Karim, Deputy Director of the Health and family Planning Department Dr Ferdous Alam and Health Advisor of Rangpur pourashava Dr Mofizul Islam Mantu, attended as the special guests.
Another news from Manikganj adds: World Health Day was observed in all the upazilas of the district on Tuesday as elsewhere across the country and the globe with a promise to reach healthcare services to the doorsteps of the rural people, reports BSS.
The theme of the day of the year is "Save lives, Make hospitals safe in emergencies".
In the observance of the day, Department of Health organized a discussion on the significance of the day at the conference room of civil surgeon (CS) office.

Masnovi Sharif distributed

BARISAL, Apr 8: Cultural center of Islamic Republic of Iran-Dhaka has organized a certificates giving ceremony after completion of two month-long Persian Language Course conducted by Global Muslims Society on Madhab Pasha high school premesis recently, says a press release.
30 Imams of rural mosques attended the programme. Mufti Mussadek Billa of World Islamic Call Society and Pir of Charmoni attended the occasion as chief guest and Dr. Abdul Qudus researcher of cultural center of Islamic Republic of Iran, Dhaka spoke as chief discussant and it was presided over by M Jahangir Khan, president of Global Muslims Society and Brother Qathafi Arabic Language Institute, Barisal.

COUNTRY NOTES

One killed 4 hurt in clash

MUNSHIGANJ, Apr 8: A clash over a trifling matter killed an old man and injured his four family members at Mollabari in Tongibari upazila Tuesday night, reports UNB.
Local sources said day labourer Hasan Mollah, 70, took
Tk 1,000 as loan from his expatriate son''s wife Asma Begum 4/5 days
back.
On the fateful night Asma, who was living at the nearby maternal uncle''s house of her husband, demanded the money back. But as Hasan Mollah failed to return the money she became angry. Later, Asma along with her husband''s maternal uncle Hasan Sheikh, his two sons Farid and Mohiuddin equipped with lethal weapons attacked the house of Hasan Molla leaving him and his wife Ambia Begum, two sons and one daughter injured seriously.
Local people rushed them to the district general hospital where Hasan Mollah died at 10pm. A case was filed.

Fire guts ten houses in Dinajpur

DINAJPUR, Apr 8: A devastating fire gutted 10 dwelling houses completely and 15 others partially at Kundushahpara village in Khansama upazila Monday night, reports UNB.
A sexagenarian woman also died of cardiac arrest seeing the fierce fire. The deceased was identified as Amena Khatun, 60, wife of Fakau Muhammad of the village.
Local sources said some miscreants set ablaze a stockpile of straw at about 10:30pm that gutted the nearby houses.
On information, fire fighters from the district headquarters rushed in and extinguished the blaze with the help of local people.
The affected house owners claimed that the extent of losses from the fire could go up to Tk 20 lakh.

Drugs worth Tk 2.33 lakh destroyed

BRAHMANBARIA, Apr 8: Sadar thana police on Tuesday destroyed different kinds of drugs worth Tk 2.33 lakh on the thana premises, reports UNB. Police said they destroyed 539 bottles of Indian phensidyl syrup, 44 kgs of hemp, 50 bottles of liquor and 4,000 pieces of Indian biri seized in different raids.
Social Service Department deputy director Mohammad Abdur Rob Khan and district press club president Mohammad Arzu were present among others.

25 arrested in Joypurhat

JOYPURHAT, April 8: Police in separate anti-crime drives arrested 25 persons including seven drug peddlers on various charges from different places of five upazilas of the district during the last 48 hours till this morning, reports BSS.
Police sources said, the arrested persons were absconding warrantees, cheats, thieves, drug- peddlers and accused persons in different cases and other anti social elements.
Police also recovered 40 bottles of contraband Indian phensidyl and other illegal objects during the drives.

Two burglars arrested

SYLHET, Apr 8: Police arrested two burglars red handed along with a stolen CNG-run auto-rickshaw at Supatola in Bianibazar upazila on Monday, reports UNB.
The arrested were identified as Kayes Ahmed, 25, of Zaldup Pahariabahar village and Enamuddin, 27, of Zaldup Patuli village in the upazila.