How to check a diagnostic centre or clinic licence in Bangladesh

Last checked: 26 October 2026. This is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm a specific facility’s licence with DGHS or the civil surgeon’s office.

Patients, doctors, corporate clients and even new partners sometimes need to know one thing about a diagnostic centre or clinic: is its licence real and current? News reports in 2025 and 2026 found many private facilities running on expired licences or outside their licence category, so it is a fair question. Here is how to check.

1. Ask to see the licence

Every licensed private diagnostic centre, clinic and hospital in Bangladesh holds a licence from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). It must be displayed prominently at the premises: a sample DGHS licence lists this as a condition, and a 2024 DGHS order said licences must be visible at the main entrance.

A recent licence is system-generated and needs no signature. It shows:

• The facility name and address.
• The licence number and registration code.
• The category (for diagnostic centres).
• The approval date and expiry date.
• The legal basis: the Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Laboratories (Regulation) Ordinance, 1982.

2. Check the signboard

DGHS has directed private hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres and blood banks to put their licence number and expiry date on their signboard. If the signboard shows nothing, or shows an expiry date that has passed, ask to see the licence.

3. Check the expiry date

From FY 2026-27, licences are valid for two years. A sample licence says that if it is not renewed within one month after expiry, it is cancelled from the expiry date. If the date has passed, ask whether a renewal application is in progress and for proof.

4. Check the category against the tests offered

This is the step most people miss. Diagnostic centres are licensed in a category that limits which tests they may perform. A sample Category-C pathology licence allows all pathology tests except blood transfusion, and states that working outside the category is a punishable offence.

So if a centre licensed for basic pathology is advertising CT scans, a blood bank or tests needing a higher category, the licence does not cover them. In a March 2026 DGHS drive, a centre was fined for running higher-category tests and an unapproved blood bank.

5. Check the name and address match

A licence is for one name at one address. A sample licence says changing the name, address or location without permission makes it invalid. A branch at a new address needs its own licence.

6. Confirm with DGHS if in doubt

If anything looks wrong or you need certainty (for example before a business agreement):

• Contact the civil surgeon’s office of the district with the facility’s name and licence number.
• Or contact the DGHS Hospital and Clinic branch.
• DGHS has also published lists of licensed private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres on its Hospital and Clinic section website.

For owners: make your licence easy to check

If you own a centre, make checking easy and you build trust:

• Licence framed at the entrance; licence number and expiry on the signboard.
• Renew before the expiry date and keep the renewal receipt.
• Offer only the tests your category allows.
• Put your licence number on your website and printed reports.

New to licensing? Read how to get a diagnostic centre or clinic licence and what a licence inspection looks for.

Where Hospify Pro fits

Hospify Pro does not issue or verify licences. It helps a licensed centre look and work like one: reports print your facility details, including your DGHS licence number in the header, and carry a QR code that anyone can scan to confirm the report is genuine, and each report shows who verified it and when. If you are setting up, the Diagnostic plan is Tk 6,500 a month$149 a month.

Checklist for checking a licence

• Licence displayed at the premises.
• Name and address on the licence match the facility.
• Expiry date not passed (or renewal proof shown).
• Category covers the tests and services offered.
• Licence number and expiry on the signboard.
• Confirmed with the civil surgeon’s office or DGHS if in doubt.