Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain told Parliament on Wednesday that the government would recruit 100,000 health workers at the earliest opportunity and assured lawmakers that the country faces no shortage of anti-rabies vaccines and none is anticipated in the future.
The minister made the remarks while responding to questions from Members of Parliament during the ongoing budget session of the National Parliament, presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram.
Addressing the issue of manpower shortages in the health sector, the minister said the government's overarching goal is to ensure universal health coverage and deliver healthcare services to every citizen with dignity and respect. "Filling vacant positions is an ongoing process," he said, adding that recruitment is currently underway for 450 Assistant Surgeons through the 45th BCS, 1,682 through the 46th BCS, 1,331 through the 47th BCS, and 650 through the 50th BCS. Recruitment for Senior Staff Nurses and Midwives is also progressing, he added.
The minister further said that in line with the government's election manifesto, 100,000 health workers would be recruited under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as swiftly as possible to fill vacancies across healthcare institutions nationwide.
On the development of rural health infrastructure, he recalled that the late President Ziaur Rahman, the Proclaimer of Independence, had laid the foundation of grassroots healthcare by establishing 31-bed hospitals at the upazila level, which former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia later upgraded to 50-bed facilities. He said the current Prime Minister has now decided to further upgrade all 50-bed upazila hospitals to 101-bed facilities, with implementation already underway.
Turning to the rabies vaccine situation, the minister assured Parliament that adequate stocks are available across the country. A total of 139,675 vials, equivalent to 558,700 doses have been distributed nationwide, with supply continuing.
Describing the government's stock management framework, the minister said a four-tier mechanism is in place to ensure uninterrupted supply. Any upazila exhaust its stock, vaccines will be sourced first from neighbouring upazilas, then from the district level, and if necessary, from the Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD). District administrations have also been authorised to procure vaccines on an emergency basis.
"Adequate stocks have been maintained at all four levels across the country. Insha'Allah, even if the number of patients increases, there will be no shortage of rabies vaccines," the minister told Parliament.
JB/TZ
