PM worried over doctors' not staying in villages

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed her concern over the physicians' reluctance to stay in remote areas and provide service to rural people.
“If all physicians stay in capital Dhaka, how the villagers would get medical services?” she questioned.
The premier raised the question while addressing the inaugural function of 3-day 7th International Scientific Conference and Workshop on Urology at Sonargaon Hotel.
European School of Urology, Asian School of Urology and Bangladesh Association of Urological Surgeons jointly arranged the conference and the workshop marking the 3rd Asian-European School of Urology Course 2011.
The PM said the physicians must build their mentality to work in remote villages.
Reiterating the government's commitment to reach the quality healthcare facilities to the poor people, she said from today, urology treatment facilities are being extended to 12 medical college hospitals in Dhaka, Chittagong and 10 other districts.
“From now on, rural people will not require coming to Dhaka for urological medical services,” Hasina said.
The government has already created 150 posts for urologists and recruitment is on to replenish the posts, she said.
The premier said in the past, kidney and urology patients had to wait for many days to get treatment due to shortage of beds, human resources and infrastructure facilities in the hospitals.
After setting up kidney and urology hospital, she said people's sufferings were reduced significantly, Hasina remarked.
“Last BNP-Jamaat government did not increase human resources and other facilities in the hospital as a result thousands of patients were deprived of getting medical services from specialist physicians of the country,” she said.
The premier said it will be possible to start operations of the planned 18,000 community health clinics by 2014.
Already, a total of 10,333 community health clinics have started operation across the country, she said.
She said the process is on to recruit 13,500 community healthcare providers for the community health clinics and 32,000 3rd and 4th class employees at different hospitals and health complexes.
Besides, 1,420 first class, 62 second class and 1,182 third and fourth class jobs have been created while already 4,331 physicians, 1,747 nurses and 6,391 health assistants have been appointed, the premier mentioned.
Government medical colleges will be set up in Kushtia, Satkhira, Kishoreganj and Rangamati while permission has been given for establishing three medical colleges, three homeopathic colleges and over 40 medical assistant training schools and institutes of health technology at private initiatives, she added.
Prof AKM Anwarul Islam, president of Bangladesh Association of Urological Surgeons presided over the function while Health Minister Dr AFM Ruhal Haq, PM's Advisers Dr Syed Mudasser Ali and HT Imam, among others, addressed it.