PM irked by doctors' absence at upazila-level hospitals
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed frustration at the absence of doctors at upazila-level hospitals.
“We've taken various steps to upgrade upazila hospitals... we've upgraded the ten-bed hospitals to 50-bed ones. There should be at least 10 doctors in every hospital but in some places only one doctor is there, at best four. Doctors aren't staying there (upazilas),” she said.
The prime minister made the remarks while addressing a physicians' conference at her official residence Gono Bhaban.
“We've created posts. Doctors are given postings but we aren't getting doctors there. Why people are being neglected!” she said.
Sheikh Hasina clearly mentioned that the people of the country do not expect such attitude from doctors who have government jobs. “I request you (doctors) all to think about it.”
The prime minister said the government is aware about the accommodation crisis of government officials at the upazila level, and said her administration has taken a move to construct multi-storeyed buildings there to provide better accommodation for them.
She said her government's aim is to take all public services to the doorsteps of people. “With that aim, we're doing various types of work so that people could get medicare services at their doorsteps."
“Medical services will have to be ensured all over the country, not only in Dhaka. I hope you'll pay a special attention to that. The quality of the services has to be improved,” she said.
Talking about private medical colleges, Hasina said there should strong monitoring on what the private medical colleges are teaching their students, what their curricula are and whether they have appropriate hospitals nearby to provide proper training to their students. “These have to be ensured so that doctors coming out from these medical colleges can give proper medicare services to patients.”
Hasina said the government always pays attention to education and considers medical education very important. “That's why we're establishing one medical university in each division of the country.”
The prime minister also briefly described various programmes taken for the development of healthcare services of the country, and for physicians.
Presided over by BMA president Dr Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin, the programme was addressed, among others, by Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim, State Minister Dr Zahid Maleque, President of the Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania Dr Ravindran R Naidu, BMA secretary general Dr Md Ehteshamul Huq Choudhury and BMA Vice President (Dhaka City) Dr Kanak Kanti Barua.
Earlier, the PM inaugurated the programme through hoisting the national flag and releasing white doves.
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