Dhaka: Around 40 percent doctors at 11 government hospitals in eight districts were absent on Monday, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) said, reports the UNB.

ACC briefed reporters after conducting simultaneous drives from 9am to 2pm following more than 100 complaints from Dhaka, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Tangail, Mymensingh, Kushtia and Pabna.

Eleven teams raided the hospitals at the order of ACC Director General Munir Chowdhury. ‘We did not find 92 doctors out of 230 at their workstations,’ he said of the overall situation. ‘It means 40 percent of them were absent.’

The situation is worse outside Dhaka. ‘Only 50 doctors out of 131 were at work. The absent rate was 61.8 percent,’ Munir said.

The ACC team also caught an employee of Dhaka’s Mugda General Hospital while taking bribe from a patient’s relatives. The hospital suspended him at the ACC’s suggestion.

People alleged doctors at upazila hospitals spent more time at private clinics and many senior officials at upazila health complexes skipped office throughout the month. Consultants and medical officers take advantage of the situation and remain absent.

ACC also found after verification of the daily attendance list that the employees took their payment though they remain absent the whole month.

DG Munir lamented the situation. ‘We will take tough stance against negligence of duty,’ he said. ‘The health sector will be under our surveillance.’