JBS Vol 20. Num 1. 2018 - Improving Hospital Care in Bangladesh

Viewed as preventive versus curative, Bangladesh’s health services show a clear dichotomy. Long-term indicators of the preventive type suggest significant gains in the health status of the general population including improvements in maternal and child mortality rates, as well as longevity. The curative side, unfortunately, provides a different picture; those who need hospital care often receive poor quality of treatment, including failures in patient-provider communication, empathy, assurance, and overall poor management – all representing patients’ expectations from the service providers. This paper is based on action research, assessing the experiences of patients and their attendants in several hospitals/clinics via in-depth interviews. The findings suggest the need for behavior modification among service providers (doctors, nurses, technical hands, office administration, and managerial personnel) and call for establishing educational programs in health care administration immediately, to develop a cadre of managers versed in better managing health care service delivery.