The Council in a statement yesterday said that such hospitals are cheating common people since no actions have yet been taken against any of them.

More than 100 clinics and pathological centres in the city areas are operating their business without valid license from the government agencies.

Hundreds of low quality clinics were installed at different remote areas, upazila headquarters and villages, the statement added.

According to the sources, most of the clinics are mushroomed at city's Laxmipur, Kazihata, Gourhanga, Talaimari, Barnali, Kalabagan, Kantakhali, Naohata and Ghosepara areas.

Rajshahi Civil Surgeon office sources said 46 clinics and diagnostic centres of the city areas have collected valid license while more than 90 such health centres have no license. The civil surgeon office, however, failed to comment on the number of illegal clinics in the outskirts of city, upazila and other remote areas of Rajshahi.

While talking to newsmen, Rajshahi Civil Surgeon Fazlul Haque said the clinic owners have become more conscious about collecting their license in the recent days. The authorities also took punitive measures against several clinics and cautioned to improve the quality of the hospitals, he added.

Sources said quality health care service is not available in most of the clinics where patients of rural areas generally flock through middlemen.

Dishonest clinic owners deployed a good number of middlemen, mostly rickshaw pullers, who manipulate the patients at different public places like bus terminals, railway stations and Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) premises.

Such owners collect a huge amount of money in the name of conducting critical operations and other fees from the poor patients.

The incidents of killing patients in wrong treatment have increased at city clinics in the recent days.

The owners even change the name of the clinics after committing wrong treatment to avoid protests and legal actions.

According to the sources, after committing a wrong treatment at Jibon Clinic at Kazihata area, its owner changed its name into Shah Clinic.

On the same ground, Care Nursing Home, Modern Hospital, Motherland Hospital, Fatema Hospital, Bridge hospital, Mahanagar clinic, Doctor's Nursing Home, Janasheba clinic, Sheba Nursing home, Al Arafa clinic, Meherunnesa clinic, Bhai-Bon clinic and Janata clinic however altered their names in the recent past, the sources added.

While talking to newsmen Rajshahi Protection Movement Council President Jamat Khan said they have been carrying out movements demanding establishment of a fair health care system and removal of illegal clinics and hospitals in Rajshahi for several years.