Ex-Religious Affairs Adviser Spent nearly Tk 82 Lakh
Collected Photo
While the interim government’s advisers served a brief 18-month tenure, their medical expenditures remained substantial.
Although ministers in elected governments legally receive medical reimbursements, the practice raises ethical concerns when the officials responsible for improving domestic healthcare seek treatment abroad.
Former Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain claimed Tk 81,91,488 for cardiac treatment in Thailand. He was also the former nayeb-e-ameer of Hefazat-e-Islam.
Khalid underwent heart surgery after the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases reportedly deemed the procedure too risky to perform domestically and advised him to go abroad.
Every year, millions of Bangladeshis travel to various countries for medical treatment. Under medical tourism, 1.5 to 1.7 million Bangladeshis visit India, although these statistics reflect the period prior to 2024.
Khalid told Agamir Somoy that he traveled to Thailand twice with government approval, initially accompanied by a physician and later by family members.
Addressing the country’s healthcare deficiencies, Khalid said, “Surely there is failure. Why could we not build one good hospital in so many years? We could not build a hospital like Mount Elizabeth.
“Money is looted and laundered from banks. If there were treatment in the country, it would not cost this much. I also spent a lot of my own money for treatment. If treatment were available in the country, would anyone go? This is not a pleasure trip.”
When asked why he did not push for health sector reforms within the cabinet, Khalid added, “Advisers or ministers cannot do many things even if they want to. There are bureaucratic complexities. One cannot do anything here just by wishing.”
Although the interim government initially began with 16 advisers, several others later joined as special assistants or under different titles. During the tenure, many of them claimed medical reimbursements for treatment abroad.
The list of advisers also includes Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain, Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, and Power and Energy Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan.
