MAILBOX
Stop discrimination against hijras
An article titled "How effective will the anti-discrimination law be?" published in the Star Weekend has rightly highlighted the social isolation and discriminations faced by the third gender. The right to equality and the principle of non-discrimination is recognised by the constitution of Bangladesh. While article 27 of the Constitution states that the people of Bangladesh are equal in the eyes of the law, article 28 forbids any discrimination on the basis of race, caste, religion, sex or place of birth. Despite these constitutional assurances, social discrimination is quite widespread in Bangladesh. Hijras are part of one of the most neglected groups of our society. Some of us are afraid of them and others mock or laugh at them; some abuse them and others merely ignore them and none of us really think of them as human beings, who deserve minimum respect. We should give them a society where they can walk freely and no one will look at them in a different way. Due to continuous negligence from family, society and the state, they become aggressive and desperate to do anything for their survival. Moreover, society's disapproval forces them to lead a life full of crimes and illegal activities. In the developed countries, people of the third gender get the same facilities as any other citizen and so they become self-dependent and contribute to the national economy. If our government establishes a special educational institution for the hijra population, they will become self-dependent and will be able to contribute to our society. We must change our mindset and attitude towards the third gender.We should accept them.
Zubair Khaled Huq
Lalmatia
Dhaka
Set up a public medical college in Munshiganj
The government is committed to providing healthcare services to people in both rural and urban areas. But it has become difficult as doctors are not willing to serve in the health centres located in rural areas. This problem has been persisting for long. The problem cannot be addressed properly as we are yet to produce a good number of qualified physicians. It is therefore necessary to set up public medical colleges at district levels to address this ever-intensifying problem.
Munshiganj is one of the closest districts to the capital, Dhaka. One can reach Munshiganj town within one and a half hours by road, whereas it takes more than two hours to travel from one end of the Dhaka metropolis to the other end. A good number of industrial units are operating on both sides of the Dhaka-Munshiganj highway. As such, Munshiganj will be a suitable location for a full-fledged Public Medical College to impart undergraduate and graduate level medical education. It will undoubtedly improve the standard of health services for the people of the district and adjoining areas. Shortage of medical colleges in Bangladesh is one of the main reasons for the dearth of qualified medical practitioners.
As Munshiganj is not too far away from Dhaka, faculty members and experienced doctors and surgeons who have already settled in Dhaka will be encouraged to serve in a Medical College in Munshiganj due to the short distance.
The government should utilise this opportunity and include a medical college at Munshiganj in its list of projects so that more students in the country can get admission to study medicine and surgery. With similar medical colleges set up in districts, the quality of health care services will improve automatically.
Md Ashraf Hossain
Central Bashabo
Dhaka
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