HPM Sheikh Hasina for ensuring people's right to healthcare

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made a fervent call to administrative officials, doctors and all other concerned for a proper operation and maintenance of the medical institutes and hospitals established by her government to ensure people’s right to healthcare services.

“Your foremost duty is to give services to the people. Side by side you have to operate the institutions properly and cleanly as the government undertook much burden to adopt the projects and allocate fund for establishing those institutions,” she said.

“We are striving hard to reach the health services at the doorsteps of the people. So I hope that you will treat patients considering your profession not merely a job, but a solemn commitment,” the prime minister said.

Sheikh Hasina said this while inaugurating Sheikh Russell Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital at city’s Mohakhali today.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is moving ahead and this forward march will certainly continue in the coming days. None would be able to keep Bangali nation under suppression what Bangabandhu had announced in his historic March 7 Speech in 1971.

On the occasion, the prime minister also inaugurated the newly constructed National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Referral Centre and laid the foundation stones of the vertical extensions of the National Institute of Mental Health Hospital, Suharawardi Hospital, Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology Hospital, Mugda Hospital-Dhaka, Asthma Center-Dhaka and Health Management Institute at Savar.

Sheikh Hasina said the work on the projects has already been launched and will be completed in due time when more scopes of health services would be created in the country.

The implementation of those projects would get a quick pace if we can come to power again, she said.

Health Minister Mohammad Nasim presided over the function held on TB Hospital premises at Mohakhali.

State Minister for Health Jahid Malek, PM’s personal physician Dr. Sirajul Islam Shishir and Health Secretary Md. Serajul Huq Khan also spoke on the occasion.

The prime minister said though Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had made constitutional provisions for people’s right to health services the people of Bangladesh suffered from various diseases for a long period because of backwardness in the healthcare system.

Sheikh Hasina said her government during its 1996-2001 tenure had given utmost priority to the health sector as she witnessed the suffering of the people for lack of healthcare and medicine when she visited villages across the country after coming back home in 1981.

The prime minister said Bangabandhu initiated the primary health services in the country through establishing a 10-bed hospital in every village.

Following the footprint of Bangabandhu, her government took the project of the Community Clinic in every village to reach the healthcare services at the doorsteps of the people, she added.

Sheikh Hasina said her government had constructed 11,000 community clinics and people started getting services from the clinics. But, she said, unfortunately the project was stalled with the change of the government in 2001.

The Prime Minister said her government has launched initiatives for construction of the kidney institute, neuro institute and cancer institute and others during its first stint in power. But, those projects were not implemented with the change of the government, she noted.

She said her government approved many private medical hospitals and waived tax on medical equipment to facilitate those hospitals to import modern machineries.

Coming to state power after eight years, Sheikh Hasina said, the Awami League government renewed its initiatives to introduce a modern healthcare system to reach healthcare services at grassroots level.

She said all the community clinics were brought under a trust fund so that no government in the future can turn down the operation of the clinics. Access to better health services has increased the life expectancy of the country’s people, she added.

The Prime Minister said a Gastro Liver Hospital was very essential as a large number of people in Bangladesh suffer from abdominal diseases. So, she said, her government for a long time has been trying to establish the hospital.

Sheikh Hasina said following the footprint of Bangabandhu, her government has implemented extensive development works in the health sector over the last 10 years to ensure healthcare services for commoners.

Pointing out her government’s plan to construct a university in every division, the Prime Minister said two universities have already been established and others would be built if her government comes to power again.