Every private clinic and hospital across the country will have to maintain quality and no substandard one will be allowed to operate, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim yesterday.

Addressing the national convention-2018 of Bangladesh Private Clinic and Diagnostic Owners' Association as chief guest, Nasim said clinics and hospitals are mushrooming across the country, many of which do not maintain minimum quality.

Bangladesh Private Clinic and Diagnostic Owners' Association organised the convention and health exhibition at Bangabandhu International Conference Center.

The health minister said whenever they go to close a substandard clinic, political lobbying rears its ugly head.

“This is the country of lobbying ... No other country sees such level of lobbying,” Nasim said.

He also urged Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) and Bangladesh Private Clinic and Diagnostic Association to not give membership to those who do not have quality healthcare services in their clinics and hospitals.

He said they shut a clinic in Chittagong where a baby died due to wrong treatment of a doctor. For one bad clinic, ten other clinics have to bear the criticism, he added.

“Incidents like keeping a dead person in the ICU for two or three days to earn additional money is also happening, and you have to come forward against those people,” Naism said.

“I am giving you the power to shut substandard clinics and hospitals. Please close down at least 10 in a year,” he said.

Others who addressed the programme included Additional Director General of Directorate General of Health Services Prof Nasima Sultana, BMA President and lawmaker Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Secretary General of BMA Dr Md Ehteshamul Huq Chowdhury, Director General of Directorate General of Drug Administration Dr Mustafizur Rahman, President of Bangladesh Private Clinic and Diagnostic Owners' Association and prof Dr Md Moniruzzaman Bhuiyan.