The government is planning to recruit 100,000 new health workers and 25,000 midwives over the next three to four years to strengthen primary healthcare services across the country.
Dr. SM Ziauddin Haider, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, announced the plan while briefing journalists on international cooperation in the health sector at the Secretariat on Sunday.
He said the government wants to shift the country's healthcare system from a treatment-based approach to a prevention-based system. To achieve this goal, a primary health unit will be established in every union and urban ward.
According to Dr. Ziauddin, these health units will provide normal delivery services and at least two midwives will be posted at each center. Upazila Health Complexes will also be upgraded to 100-bed hospitals in phases. These facilities will offer complete maternal healthcare, including services for complicated deliveries and intensive care for newborn babies.
He said there are currently only 2,500 to 3,000 government midwives, which is far below the country's needs. The government aims to recruit at least one-third of the target number of midwives within the next year.
Dr. Ziauddin said Health Assistants, Family Welfare Assistants and Community Health Care Providers (CHCPs) will be brought under a single structure. They will be called Community Health Workers and will visit every family at least once every two months to provide preventive healthcare services.
He said Bangladesh currently has around 41,000 to 42,000 health workers. With the addition of 100,000 new workers, the total number will rise to nearly 150,000.
Community clinics will not be closed, he said. Instead, they will be transformed into health hubs and integrated into a wider primary healthcare network.
Dr. Ziauddin also said a $45 million project jointly funded by the Bangladesh government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is in the final stage of approval. If approved, pilot activities will begin in Khulna, Narsingdi, Sirajganj, Bogra and Noakhali.
The pilot project will introduce digital health cards, integrated patient management and referral systems on a trial basis.
He said the government plans to introduce a digital health card for every citizen. The card will store all medical records digitally and automatically refer patients to higher-level hospitals when needed. He said this system would help reduce the influence of brokers and unnecessary harassment of patients.
During the briefing, Dr. Ziauddin also discussed the ongoing health sector crisis. He claimed that mismanagement and negligence by the previous government created shortages in vaccination programmes and family planning supplies.
