Hospital Social Services Program

Background:

The disease severely disrupts the normal lives of people and makes them helpless. Illness is even more painful for distressed poor patients. The importance and effectiveness of hospital social work in ensuring that sick people receive their basic right to medical care is immense. Among the various welfare activities conducted by the Department of Social Services, ‘Hospital Social Services Program’ is one of the most important daily activities, directly involving the service of the poor, the downtrodden, the helpless and the afflicted. Hospital Social Service Program helps the poor, helpless patients in various mental, family, social, economic and illness issues to increase the mental strength of the patient, bear the cost of treatment, provide various information to the doctor about the patient's disease and cause, and help in rehabilitation after treatment.

In Bangladesh, for the first time in 1958, two medical social workers were appointed in Dhaka Medical College Hospital on the initiative of the then East Pakistan National Council of Social Welfare. After the establishment of the Directorate of Social Welfare in 1961, the project was expanded to Chittagong and Rajshahi Medical College Hospitals, Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital, and Chest Disease Hospital in Dhaka. Thus a total of 38 medical social workers were appointed. Then during the third five-year plan, 12 units were introduced in 12 hospitals across the country, and later in 1991, 2 units in Dhaka metropolis, 1 in Khulna city, and 33 units in the new district headquarters, a total of 36 were introduced in the development sector. As the activities were fruitful, units were started in 8 more hospitals in 1994. At present, the program is being conducted in a total of 113 units in district-level government and private hospitals in 64 districts, including Dhaka metropolis and in 420 Upazila Health Complexes at the upazila level, the total number of which is 533. To implement this program, every hospital under the Department of Social Services has a Rogi Kallayan Samitee' ('Patient Welfare Association) registered under the Voluntary Social Welfare Organizations (Registration and Control) Ordinance, 1961.

Aims and Objectives of Hospital Social Services Program:

• To know the history of the disease through rapport building with the patient and to enable him to receive treatment and cure the disease through counseling and motivation;
• Facilitate the recovery of poor and incapacitated patients by  providing free of cost medicine, diet, blood, medical aids, travel fares, transportation of corpses and funeral and diagnostic examination costs;
• Socially rehabilitate abandoned and helpless disadvantaged children and homeless persons in the hospital under the Children Act, 2013, The vagrant and shelter less persons  (Rehabilitation) Act, 2011, and other existing laws;
• To make the helpless competent persons who have been discharged from the hospital self-reliant by involving them in income-generating activities;
• Ensuring the rights of elderly, widowed and husband-deserted women and disabled patients by providing priority services and assistance under Social Security Programs;
• Provide priority services to patients with complex diseases including cancer, kidney, liver cirrhosis, congenital heart disease, paralyzed by stroke, and thalassemia and to receive services under Social Security Programs;
• Raise public awareness on family planning, maternal and child health care, and prevention of all types of contagious and complex diseases;
• As the case may be, communication with the patient's family and inspection of the patient's home, including resolving family problems, strengthening family ties, and assisting in family and community reintegration;

Services provided:

Mental Services:

• Providing mental support to help the patient adapt to the new environment;
• Enhancing the morale and courage of the patient in operations and incurable diseases;
• Providing immediate motivation and counseling services to boost the morale of abused women and children who come to the hospital's one-stop crisis center;
• Encouraging and empowering parents through counseling and motivation to seek treatment for transgender (Hijra) children;
• Providing assistance to the mental development of homeless patients;
• Helping in the mental development of mental and drug-addicted patients as well as providing encouragement and counseling to the parents.

Social Services:

• Assistance with getting information about admission in hospitals and for medical treatment;
• To assist patients suffering from Cancer, Kidney, Liver Cirrhosis, Congenital Heart Disease, Paralyzed by Stroke, Thalassemia, and other diseases through  Medical Assistance Programs under the Department of Social Services;
• Assistance with the referral of patients suffering from complex diseases such as Cancer, Kidney, Liver Cirrhosis, Tuberculosis, AIDS, and other diseases to other hospitals if necessary for providing advanced treatment on the advice of a doctor;
• Taking necessary action in case of an unknown patient subject to consultation with the hospital authorities;
• Patient home visits, follow-up, and contact with family if necessary;
• Prioritize medical care for children, the person with disabilities, transgender and the elderly;
• Arrangements for rehabilitation in various institutions of the Department of Social Services where applicable, including treatment of homeless and abandoned children or persons;
• Regular counseling and motivation of indoor and outdoor patients on family planning, maternal and child health care, hygiene, and prevention of infections and contagious   diseases;
• Organizing seminars, workshops, etc. to create public awareness about the dangers of infectious and contagious diseases and to take measures to publish and disseminate promotional leaflets, brochures, etc .; And
• Depending on the situation, take measures to entertain the patients, such as the corner of TV, daily newspaper, magazine, etc. setting up children's playgrounds etc.

 Financial Services:

• Provide free of cost medicine, examination, clothing, diet, blood, transport of corpses, funeral of the deceased, transportation fare, artificial limb, medical aids and other medical aids to the helpless, distressed and poor patients receiving medical services in the outdoor and indoor departments of the hospital. As the case may be, all examinations and free treatment of the patient are subject to consultation with the hospital authorities.

Source of Income of Rogi Kallayan Somitee (Patient Welfare Association):

• Government grants received by Bangladesh National Social Welfare Council and other means;
• General and lifetime member subscriptions;
• Cash received as zakat, donations, and grants through charitable individuals and organizations;
• Medical aids received through charitable individuals and organizations;
• Cash received through various income-generating programs etc.

Service Recipients: 

• Poor, indigent, and distressed patients receive indoor and outdoor treatment in hospitals.

Hospital Social Services Offices:

• At district headquarters

64 General Hospitals;

24 Medical College Hospitals;

25 specialized hospitals;

• At upazila level- 420 upazila health complexes

Among these hospitals, government hospitals-520, private hospitals-13

Time of receiving service:

• 8.00 am to 2.30 pm on working days or own office schedule of the concerned hospital.

Timeline for Providing Services:

• Instantly after identifying the patients or after submitting the application form.

Necessary fee/tax/other expenditures:

• Free of cost

Concerned Officers:

• Respective Hospital Social Services Officer, Hospital Social Services Office, and Upazila Social Services Officer at the upazila level. (link)
• Chairperson of Rogi Kallayan Somitee (Patient Welfare Association)/Head of the hospital.

Next Concerned Officers if failed to get specific services:

 For districts level

• Deputy Director, concerned district

For divisional level

• Director, concerned division

 For Headquarters

• Director (Program), Department of Social Services, Agargaon, Dhaka.
• Additional Director (Program-1), Department of Social Services, Agargaon, Dhaka.
• Deputy Director (Medical and Probation), Department of Social Services, Agargaon, Dhaka.

Respective Act/ Rules /Guidelines:

• Hospital Social Services Programs Implementation Manual - 2011 
• Under the voluntary Social Welfare Organizations (Registration and Control) Ordinance, 1961 the Constitution of Respective Rogi Kallayan Somitee.(Patient Welfare Association)  

Helping Field of Citizens:

• To inform the hospital Social Services Office about poor patients. 
• To inform the authorities if there is any drawback in conducting the programs. 
• Be a general and life member of the Rogi Kallayan Somitee (Patient Welfare Association).
• To provide financial assistance to the Rogi Kallayan Somitee (Patient Welfare Association) for zakat, donations, grants, etc
• Donation of medical aids to the Rogi Kallayan Somitee (Patient Welfare Association). 
• To have empathy for the patients.