Healthcare to get major boost at upazila level: Health Minister Sakhawat

MANIKGANJ, Sept 1: Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has said the government is planning major changes in healthcare, including expanding treatment facilities at the upazila level.

He alleged that no effective measures were taken to improve public healthcare over the past 17 years, saying hospital beds were not increased, adequate medicines were not supplied and sufficient manpower was not recruited during the previous government’s tenure.

As a result, hospitals are now facing various problems, including shortages of doctors and nurses, he said.

The minister made the remarks at a meeting in Manikganj on Monday to coordinate law and order, development and public welfare activities.

“Currently, there is only one doctor for every 11,000 people in the country. Hospitals also have shortages of doctors and nurses,” he said, adding that corruption had also harmed the health sector.

Questioning previous purchases of medical equipment, Sakhawat said two MRI machines purchased for hospitals in Faridpur and Barishal had remained unused.

“Each machine was bought for Tk 18 crore. But they did not build the bunkers needed to install the machines,” he said, alleging that Tk 7 crore was misappropriated from each purchase.

He said the machines were still lying unused in the same condition in which they had been brought.

The minister also alleged that large amounts of money were spent on medical equipment even when there was no manpower to operate them. Unused equipment could eventually end up being sold as scrap, he said.

Upazila hospitals to get 151 beds
The government has a major plan to expand healthcare services at the upazila level, the minister said.

“We will upgrade upazila health complexes to 151 beds within three years,” he said.

Under the plan, each facility will have 20 beds for women and 20 for children. Ten dialysis beds will also be introduced for kidney patients, he said.

To make dialysis services more accessible, the government plans to increase the number of dialysis machines by the end of this year.

Each medical college hospital will receive 50 dialysis machines and each district hospital 10, he said, adding that the tender process has already begun.

“We have taken this initiative so people do not have to travel to Dhaka for dialysis,” he said.

The government also plans to install 10 dialysis machines at each upazila health complex within the next two years.

Healthcare services will also be expanded to the union level, the minister said.

“We will start work in every union and establish a health centre in each union within three years,” he said.

Better food for hospital patients

The minister also announced plans to improve the quality of food provided to hospital patients.

He said Tk 250 per patient per day would be allocated, excluding VAT and taxes, to improve food quality. Special meals would also be arranged on important occasions, he said.

Speaking about the country’s electricity and gas situation, Sakhawat alleged that the previous government had siphoned huge amounts of money abroad in the name of quick rental power plants.

He also criticised the power supply agreement with India’s Adani Group, alleging that fluctuations in electricity supply were creating problems in the country.

The minister claimed that the previous government had not taken initiatives to explore new gas fields, while the current government had started work on new gas exploration.

He stressed the need to eliminate corruption from every level of society.

Food Minister Afroza Khan Rita, also an MP from Manikganj-3, MPs S A Jinnah Kabir of Manikganj-1 and Moinul Islam Khan Shanto of Manikganj-2, as well as officials from various government departments, attended the meeting.