Understanding Physical Healthcare Experiences of Police Officers in Bangladesh: From Satisfaction to Systemic Gaps
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65826/JSAI.1.1.2026.65Keywords:
Healthcare accessibility, Outpatient service, Patient satisfaction, Healthcare qualityAbstract
This study examines the physical healthcare experiences of police personnel at the Central Police Hospital (CPH) in Bangladesh using a mixed-methods approach. The research assesses service quality, accessibility, and challenges faced by police personnel while capturing their recommendations for improvement. Quantitative data were collected through structured surveys with 70 police personnel, and qualitative insights were obtained from ten in-depth interviews. Findings show that police personnel were generally satisfied with diagnostic services, hospital cleanliness, and staff behaviour. However, significant gaps were identified, particularly in specialist doctor availability, emergency response readiness, and affordability. Rank-based disparities in access to care, along with logistical barriers like long travel distances, medicine shortages, and service delays, also emerged as major concerns. Based on these findings, the study recommends recruiting specialized doctors, providing 24/7 outpatient services, ensuring equitable access across all ranks, improving the availability of medicines, and revising canteen pricing to make food more affordable. Overall, the research highlights the urgent need for systemic reforms to establish a more inclusive, efficient, and supportive healthcare system for Bangladesh’s police force one that preserves dignity, reduces inequities, and enhances both well-being and professional effectiveness.
References
Alamgir, H. M. (2022, March 9). Protecting the police. The Financial Express. https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/public/views/protecting-the-police-1646844086
Andrade, C. C., Lima, M. L., Fornara, F., & Bonaiuto, M. (2012). Users’ views of hospital environmental quality: Validation of the Perceived Hospital Environment Quality Indicators (PHEQIs). Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32(2), 97–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2011.12.001
Associated Press of Pakistan. (2024, August 19). Federal Minister Mohsin Naqvi lays foundation stone of 100-bed international hospital in Islamabad. https://www.app.com.pk/national/islamabad-to-get-modern-100-bed-international-hospital/
Bangladesh Health Watch. (2024). State of Professional Public Health Education In Bangladesh. Bangladesh Health Watch. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/397041907_STATE_OF_PROFESSIONAL_PUBLIC_HEALTH_EDUCATION_IN_BANGLADESH
Bangladesh Police. (2019). Central Police Hospital Journal 2019. Central Police Hospital. https://cph.police.gov.bd/images/Others/CPH-Journal-2019.pdf
Bangladesh Police. (2023). Bangladesh Police Annual Report 2023. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. https://www.police.gov.bd/storage/upload/announcement/UG74eJMUBETeQrr0fHz2D5jAGDAfge1m7bCWtNWM.pdf
Basher, M. A., Rahman, M. M., Akter, S., & Sultana, S. (2023). Assessment of lung function among traffic police in Dhaka city. Asian Journal of Research in Infectious Diseases, 14(2), 76–84. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajrid/2023/v14i2291
Beauchemin, K. M., & Hays, P. (1996). Sunny hospital rooms expedite recovery from severe and refractory depressions. Journal of Affective Disorders, 40(1), 49–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(96)00040-7
Busch-Vishniac, I., West, J., Barnhill, C., Hunter, T., & Orellana, D. (2005). Noise levels in Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 118(6), 3629–3645. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.2118327
de Oliveira, R. R., Silva, F. R., & Souza, L. M. (2021). Functional capacity: Association with risk for falls, fear of falling, and pain in the elderly. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 74(Suppl 2). https://doi.org/10.15253/2175-6783.20212262430
Dhaka Tribune. (2025, January 22). IGP’s directive to enhance service quality at Central Police Hospital. Dhaka Tribune. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/371467/igp-s-directive-to-enhance-service-quality-at
El-Gamal, Y. M., Heshmat, N. M., Saleh, S. A., & El-Fattah, N. M. A. (2003). Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (The), 1(2). 126-133. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ejpai/article/view/109097
European Hospital Directory. (2025). Hôpital d’instruction des armées Percy. https://www.europeanhospitaldirectory.eu/france/hopital-percy
Faruk, M., Khan, A. H., Chowdhury, K. U. A., Jahan, S., Sarker, D. C., Colucci, E., & Hasan, M. T. (2023). Mental illness stigma in Bangladesh: Findings from a cross-sectional survey. Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health, 10, e59. https://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2023.56
German Police. (2025). Tactical Emergency Medical Services (TEMS). https://www.polizei.de
Grupe, D. W. (2021). Mental health stigma and help-seeking intentions in police employees. Center for Healthy Minds. https://centerhealthyminds.org/assets/files-publications/grupe_cswb_accepted.pdf
Habib, M. A., & Kabir, G. (2024). Analyzing the challenges in the healthcare system of Bangladesh. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Industrial, Manufacturing, and Process Engineering (ICIMP-2024), 76(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2024076015
Himalayan News Service. (2017, November 13). Nepal Police Hospital opened to general public. https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/nepal-police-hospital-opened-general-public
Himel, M. F. B., Rimi, N. A., Sultana, R., Rahman, T., & Kabir, H. (2020). Assessment of users’ perspective of public health services in Bangladesh (Second draft report). Bangladesh Health Watch. https://share.google/3Y0qCi8eg2HoHhqxQ
Indian Express. (2021, May 7). Delhi Police to get Covid care centres with 500 beds, 100 oxygen concentrators. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhi-police-covid-care-centres-7308176/
Islam, A., & Biswas, T. (2014). Health system in Bangladesh: Challenges and opportunities. American Journal of Health Research, 2(6), 366–371. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20140206.18
Katz, S. M. (1997). Anytime Anywhere: On Patrol with the NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit. Simon & Schuster.
Kim, W., Park, S., Woo, B. K., Kim, Y., Yoon, C., Lee, D., Kim, J., & Park, Y.-C. (2024). A study on the job characteristics of police officers and the status of musculoskeletal disorders. Healthcare, 12(19), 1983. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12191983
Kumari, K. (2013, April 28). Setting up new police hospitals on the lines of army hospitals. StaffNews. https://www.staffnews.in/2013/04/setting-up-new-police-hospitals-on.html
Laikaew, W. (2025). Pre-litigation mediation in medical disputes: A case study of the Police General Hospital. Nitipat NIDA Law Journal, 14(1), 28–44.
Manral, M. S. (2021, May 30). In a first, dedicated hospital for Delhi Police personnel, their families. The Indian Express. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/in-a-first-dedicated-hospital-for-delhi-police-personnel-their-families-7337106/
Mayhew, C., & Graycar, A. (2001). Occupational health and safety risks faced by police officers (No. 196). Australian Institute of Criminology. https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi196
Mohiuddin, A. K. (2020). An extensive review of patient satisfaction with healthcare services in Bangladesh. Patient Experience Journal, 7(2), 59–71. https://doi.org/10.35680/2372-0247.1415
Nantabah, Z. K., Effendi, D. E., Agustina, Z. A., & Ipa, M. (2021). Hospital accessibility in Indonesia. Medico-Legal Update, 21(3), 125–133. https://doi.org/10.37506/mlu.v21i3.2973
Noviyani, A., & Viwattanakulvanid, P. (2024). Exploring patients’ perspectives on healthcare service quality in outpatient settings at a public hospital in Palembang, Indonesia: A qualitative study. Belitung Nursing Journal, 10(3), 243–252. https://doi.org/10.33546/bnj.3594
Outzen, Z. R. (2022). Policing veterans: What the Veterans Affairs Police can illustrate about the policing of disability in America. Seattle Journal for Social Justice, 21, 423.
Papazoglou, K., & Andersen, J. P. (2014). A guide to utilizing police training as a tool to promote resilience and improve health outcomes among officers. Traumatology, 20(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0099394
Patterson, G. T., Chung, I. W., & Swan, P. G. (2012). The effects of stress management interventions among police officers and recruits. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 8(7), 1–56. https://doi.org/10.4073/csr.2012.7
Payne-James, J., Green, P. G., Green, N., McLachlan, G. M., Munro, M. H., Moore, T. C., & Wilson, R. (2010). Healthcare issues of detainees in police custody in London, UK. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 17(1), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2009.07.017
Prothom Alo. (2020, May 13). Central Police Hospital physicians relatively less affected by virus. https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/city/central-police-hospital-physicians-relatively-less-affected-by-virus
Radio Pakistan. (2025, November 23). Interior minister lays foundation stone of 100-bed int’l hospital in ICT. https://radio.gov.pk/20-08-2024/interior-minister-lays-foundation-stone-of-100-bed-intl-hospital-in-ict
Rahman, G. M., & Shanjabin, S. (2022). The trilogy of job stress, motivation, and satisfaction of police officers: Empirical findings from Bangladesh. International Journal of Financial, Accounting, and Management, 4(1), 85–99. https://doi.org/10.35912/ijfam.v4i1.866
Ross, D. S., & Venkatesh, R. (2015). An empirical study of the factors influencing quality of healthcare and its effects on patient satisfaction. International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, 4(2), 54–59. https://doi.org/10.15680/IJIRSET.2015.0402009
Rowe, A., & Knox, M. (2022). The impact of the healthcare environment on patient experience in the emergency department: A systematic review to understand the implications for patient-centered design. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 16(2), 310–329. https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867221137097
Spreeha Foundation. (2023, September 11). Healthcare challenges in Bangladesh: A system in crisis. https://www.spreeha.org/blog/bangladesh-healthcare-challenges
Syed, S., Ashwick, R., Schlosser, M., Jones, R., Rowe, S., & Billings, J. (2020). Global prevalence and risk factors for mental health problems in police personnel: A systematic review and meta analysis. Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 77(11), 737–747. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2020-106498
The Business Standard. (2022, April 10). Road accidents claim more lives of police personnel than criminals. https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/road-accidents-claim-more-lives-police-personnel-criminals-398022
The Business Standard. (2024, July 28). PM visits injured cops at CPH, assures proper treatment | The Business Standard. https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/pm-visits-injured-cops-cph-assures-proper-treatment-905176
The Daily Star. (2020, June 27). Standard treatment curbing Covid-19 death rate in cops: IGP says. https://www.thedailystar.net/coronavirus-deadly-new-threat/news/combating-covid-19-efforts-bring-death-rate-police-force-0-percent-igp-says-1921361
The Kathmandu Post. (2017, November 12). Nepal Police Hospital opened for general public from today. https://kathmandupost.com/miscellaneous/2017/11/12/nepal-police-hospital-opened-for-general-public-from-today
Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224(4647), 420–421. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.6143402
Ulrich, R. S., Zimring, C., Zhu, X., DuBose, J., Seo, H.-B., Choi, Y.-S., Quan, X., & Joseph, A. (2008). A Review of the Research Literature on Evidence-Based Healthcare Design. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 1(3), 61–125. https://doi.org/10.1177/193758670800100306
Widodo, A., Salman, I., Tola, B., Badrujaman, A., & Alifah, S. (2022). Phenomenology of health service evaluation at the Indonesian National Police in responding to the challenges of sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2030. International Journal of Health Sciences, 6(S1), 4743. https://doi.org/10.53730/ijhs.v6nS1.4743
World Health Organization. (2015). Bangladesh Health System Review. WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/206911
World Health Organization. (2020). Infection prevention and control during health care when COVID-19 is suspected. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-IPC-2020.4
World Health Organization. (2022). World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240049338
Yi, S., & Kim, K. (2023). Collection and standardization of health check-up data for the development of a police officer health management platform. Digital Health Research, 1, e6. https://doi.org/10.61499/dhr.2023.1.e6
Zannat, M. (2008, March 23). Medicare for 1.35 lakh cops in a shambles. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-28891
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ashiqur Rahaman, Md. Abdul Kader Miah, Maimuna Jibon Akanto
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
