Fertility Fair Faces Fallout Over Foreign Doctors’ Services
The health services at the ongoing Dhaka Fertility Expo have been ordered to shut down by the Civil Surgeon of Dhaka, Dr. Mohammad Zillur Rahman, following allegations that foreign doctors from India and Thailand were providing medical consultations without proper authorization from the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC).
The directive was issued during an inspection of the expo, held at the Bangabandhu China Friendship Conference Centre, where it was found that doctors including Dr. Arun and Dr. Muni Pia (a couple) and Dr. Chandra Lekha from the Indian-based Ishwarya Fertility Centre were consulting patients. It was also reported that passports were being collected from individuals interested in undergoing IVF procedures abroad.
According to sources, event organizer Eco Expo had initially applied to the Ministry of Commerce on March 3 to host the “Dhaka Fertility Expo”—an international trade fair and exhibition. Approval was granted on March 27 through a letter signed by Md. Sazebur Rahman, Deputy Secretary of the Export-7 Wing. The organizer also notified the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on June 21, providing copies of the ministry's approval and venue booking for security arrangements.
However, while the application and communications referenced a “fair” and “exhibition,” no mention was made that foreign medical professionals would be delivering patient care at the event. Moreover, no professional clearance was sought from the BMDC, the regulatory authority for medical practice in Bangladesh.
Confirming the action, Dr. Mohammad Zillur Rahman stated, “The organizers only obtained permission from the Ministry of Commerce. They did not get approval from the police—only informed them. They claimed it was a fair, but in reality, it was not. Alongside the exhibition, they were offering medical consultations and encouraging patients to seek treatment abroad.”
He further added, “I verbally instructed them to stop the activities and also issued an official letter. While permission for the exhibition exists—if it were purely for technology display or sharing, that would be acceptable. But there is no approval for medical services. Providing treatment, counseling, and luring patients to go abroad under the guise of an expo must not happen. If our instructions are ignored, a mobile court will be conducted tomorrow.”
The three-day expo, organized by Eco Expo, began on Thursday, June 26, at the China Friendship Conference Centre. Complaints surfaced that doctors from India and Thailand were actively treating patients, prompting the civil surgeon’s intervention later that afternoon.
