United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka
06/02/2011
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has expressed her concern over the physicians’ reluctance to stay in remote areas and provide service to rural people.
‘If all physicians stay in capital Dhaka, how would the villagers get medical services?’ she said.
The prime minister raised the question while addressing the inaugural function of 3-day 7th International Scientific Conference and Workshop on Urology at Sonargaon Hotel on Saturday.
European School of Urology, Asian School of Urology and Bangladesh Association of Urological Surgeons jointly arranged the conference and the workshop marking the 3rd Asian-European School of Urology Course 2011.
The prime minister said the physicians must build their mentality to work in remote villages.
Reiterating the government commitment to reach the quality healthcare facilities to the poor people, she said from today, urology treatment facilities were being extended to 12 medical college hospitals in Dhaka, Chittagong and 10 other districts.
‘From now on, rural people will not require coming to Dhaka for urological medical services,’ Hasina said.
She said the government has already created 150 posts for urologists and recruitment was on to replenish the posts.
The prime minister said treatment of kidney and urological diseases was very sensitive. The number of kidney and urology patients in the country is about 1.60 crore. (Just to add that 1 crore is equal to 10 million)
She said in the past, kidney and urology patients had to wait for many days to get treatment due to shortage of beds, human resources and infrastructure facilities in the hospitals.
After setting up kidney and urology hospital, she said people’s sufferings were reduced significantly, Hasina remarked.
‘Last BNP-Jamaat government did not increase human resources and other facilities in the hospital as a result thousands of patients were deprived of getting medical services from specialist physicians of the country,’ she said.
The prime minister said it would be possible to start operations of the planned 18,000 community health clinics by 2014.
Already, a total of 10,333 community health clinics have started operation across the country, she said.
Hasina said the last BNP-Jamaat alliance government had closed the community health clinic project just on political ground.
She said the process was on to recruit 13,500 community healthcare providers for the community health clinics and 32,000 3rd and class four employees at different hospitals and health complexes.
Besides, 1,420 first class, 62 second class, and 1,182 third and class four jobs have been created while already 4,331 physicians, 1747 nurses and 6,391 health assistants have been appointed, Hasina said.
The prime minister said the government was committed to building more hospitals on the basis of public-private partnership.
Government medical colleges will be set up in Kushtia, Satkhira, Kishoreganj and Rangamati while permission has been given for establishing three medical colleges, three homoeopathic colleges and over 40 medical assistant training schools and institutes of health technology at private initiatives, Hasina said.
She said the newly built Institute of Neuroscience and Hospital would soon be made operational.
The prime minister urged the physicians and scientists to concentrate on applied researches apart from theoretical fundamental researches for extending cheaper medical facilities to the poor people.
On higher education, she said the government had started working to establish six new specialised universities. Like any other service sector, she said the health sector must be made modern and technology-based for giving fast and quality services to the poor people.
Health minister AFM Ruhal Haq, PM’s advisers Syed Mudasser Ali and HT Imam, SAM Golam Kibria and Mohammad Nurul Huda Lenin spoke at the function presided over by AKM Anwarul Islam, president of Bangladesh Association of Urological Surgeons.
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