Health policy by this year

Speakers at a press conference in Chittagong yesterday hoped that the National Health Policy 2010 would be finalised by this year after taking opinions from different classes of people across the country.
They underscored the need for collecting opinions from professionals working in grassroots level to know people's demand to make a mass-oriented health policy.
The press conference was organised at the Training and Research Centre of Brac in the port city as part of a daylong workshop on the draft of National Health Policy 2010.
Health Secretary Sheikh Altaf Ali was the chief guest at the workshop with Convener of National Health Policy 2010 Finalization Committee Prof Dr Khondokar Md Sifayet Ullah in the chair.
Around 90 people from different professions of Chittagong division including doctors, teachers, lawyers, nurses, health workers, businessmen and religious leaders participated in the workshop.
Prof Sifayet told the press conference that the workshop in Chittagong was the second of its kind and similar programmes would be arranged in four other divisional cities to collect opinions.
The first workshop was held at Barisal and a national workshop will be held in Dhaka at last, he said.
Prof Sifayet said the draft policy was displayed on the website after it was presented by the Health and Family Welfare Minister AFM Ruhal Haque on January 16 this year.
"So far, we've received around 39 thousand suggestions and opinions on the draft policy from people and at least 61 organisations gave suggestions through internet," he said.
Director (Health) of Chittagong division Dr Md Siddikiur Rahman, Director (Family Planning) of Chittagong division Kazi Md Safiul Alam, General Secretary to Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Chittagong chapter Dr Nasiruddin Mahmud, Chittagong Medical College Principal Prof Selim Md Jahangir, Associate Director of Brac Health Programme Jalaluddin Ahmad, members of National Health Policy 2010 Finalization Committee Dr Md Sayedur Rahman and Dr Khairul Islam also spoke at the workshop.