The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has directed that private hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres and blood banks show their licence number and expiry date on their signboard; that doctors practise privately only at registered facilities; that diagnostic centres run only the tests covered by their licence category; and that anaesthesia is banned in doctors' chambers and diagnostic centres. These come from separate DGHS orders reported in 2022 and 2024, so check the latest circular with DGHS before you rely on any single rule.
In this guide 9 sections
- 1. Show your licence number and expiry date on the signboard
- 2. Run only the tests in your licence category
- 3. Doctors should practise only at registered facilities
- 4. No anaesthesia in chambers or diagnostic centres
- A short checklist
- Where software helps, and where it does not
- What is not confirmed
- Sources
- Frequently asked questions
Last checked: 23 October 2026. This is a plain-language summary of news reports, not legal advice. Orders change, so confirm the current rule with DGHS or a lawyer before you act.
Most private clinic owners know they need a licence. Fewer know the day-to-day rules DGHS has attached to it. Four come up again and again, and each comes from a different order. This guide sets them out with the source for each, and says what is and is not confirmed.
1. Show your licence number and expiry date on the signboard
In September 2022, DGHS ordered all private hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres and blood banks to put their licence number and its expiry date on their signboards. The Financial Express reported that a QR code could be used where necessary, and that facilities that did not comply would be warned first and shut down if they stayed unregistered (Financial Express).
A 2024 DGHS order added that licences must be visibly displayed at the main entrance at all times (The Business Standard).
What to do: check that the number and expiry on the board match your current licence. With licences now valid for two years, update the board when you renew. See what the two-year licence changes.
2. Run only the tests in your licence category
Following the February 2024 order, The Business Standard reported that diagnostic centres and pathology labs may perform only the tests covered by their licence category. Facilities carrying a diagnostic or hospital label but holding only a diagnostic or hospital licence may not offer services beyond that category. The same report said facilities must appoint specialists in pathology, microbiology, biochemistry or radiology that match their category.
What to do: list every test and service you offer and match each to your licence. If you are unsure whether a service falls inside your category, ask DGHS in writing before you advertise or price it.
3. Doctors should practise only at registered facilities
The Daily Star reported a DGHS notice telling doctors to practise privately only at registered hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres, and to confirm a facility is registered before providing services. It also told heads of facilities to inform their staff and to display licence numbers. Doctors found at unregistered facilities were warned they would be held accountable (The Daily Star). The report does not say what that accountability involves.
What to do: if you run a facility, keep a copy of your licence ready to show visiting doctors. If you are a doctor, check the licence before you agree to sit there.
4. No anaesthesia in chambers or diagnostic centres
In February 2024, DGHS banned administering anaesthesia in doctors’ chambers and diagnostic centres. Any operation, surgery or interventional procedure at those places needs a specialist anaesthetist recognised by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC). The order followed the death of a child during a circumcision at a diagnostic centre in Dhaka. The health minister warned of severe penalties for non-compliance, including cancellation of registration (The Business Standard).
An assistant surgeon who is a registered physician is also required for operations in private hospitals and clinics, according to the same report.
What to do: if you run a chamber or diagnostic centre, do not offer procedures that need anaesthesia. Refer them to a licensed hospital.
A short checklist
- Licence number and expiry on the signboard, matching your current licence
- Licence displayed at the main entrance
- A written list of the tests you offer, each matched to your licence category
- Specialists on record for the departments you run
- Visiting doctors’ registration, and your own licence ready to show them
- No anaesthesia in chambers or diagnostic centres
Where software helps, and where it does not
Software cannot give you a licence or tell you what your category allows. That is a decision between you and DGHS. What it can do is keep your test and service list in one place, so it is easy to compare with your licence, and keep clean visit and billing records if you are ever asked for them.
If you are setting up a diagnostic centre, our operations and software checklist covers the full list, and the diagnostic centre guide shows the screens. You can try the live diagnostic demo with no sign-up.
What is not confirmed
- The exact date of the Daily Star notice is not given in the report we read.
- Penalties differ between orders, and the reports describe them only in general terms.
- Orders may have been updated since these reports. Check the latest DGHS circulars.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Must a private clinic show its licence number on the signboard?
DGHS ordered private hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres and blood banks to show their licence number and expiry date on their signboards, according to a 2022 report in The Financial Express. The report says a QR code may be used where necessary. A 2024 DGHS order also said licences must be visibly displayed at the main entrance.
Can a diagnostic centre run any test it wants?
No. According to a 2024 report by The Business Standard, DGHS directed that diagnostic centres and pathology labs may perform only the tests covered by their licence category, and that facilities with a diagnostic or hospital licence may not offer services beyond that category.
Can a doctor see patients at any private facility?
DGHS told doctors to practise privately only at registered hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres, and to confirm a facility is registered before providing services there, as reported by The Daily Star. Doctors found at unregistered facilities were warned they would be held accountable.
Is anaesthesia allowed in a doctor's chamber or a diagnostic centre?
DGHS banned administering anaesthesia in doctors' chambers and diagnostic centres in February 2024. Any operation, surgery or interventional procedure there requires a specialist anaesthetist recognised by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC), as reported by The Business Standard.
What happens if a facility breaks these rules?
Reports describe warnings first and closure for facilities that stay unregistered, and the health minister warned of severe penalties including cancellation of registration. The exact penalty depends on the order and the facts, so ask DGHS or a lawyer.
Do licences now last two years, and does that change these rules?
A 10 August 2026 DGHS order extended licence validity to two years from FY 2026-27. That affects how often you renew, not the display, category and practice rules in this article. See our guide to the two-year licence.
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