Govt taking steps to expand healthcare services at grassroots: Sakhawat

“The process of recruiting around 9,500 new personnel, including 2,500 nurses and 2,500 pharmacists, has begun to take dialysis facilities to the grassroots, increase the number of beds and address the acute shortage of doctors,” he told reporters after making a surprise visit to the 250-bed Naogaon General Hospital today.

During the inspection, the health minister visited different wards, the operation theatre, pharmacy and kitchen of the hospital and talked to patients.

He said there had been a lack of accountability in the health sector over the past 17 years. The incumbent government has started restoring discipline and accountability in the sector within just six months, he added.

Sakhawat said plans had been taken to reduce dependence on Dhaka, particularly by improving the quality of dialysis services.

He said 50 dialysis beds would be installed at every medical college hospital and 10 at each district-level hospital across the country. The tender process for purchasing the machines had already been completed, and the target was to launch dialysis services at the district level within the next three months, he said.

He said the 60 dialysis machines at the district level would be able to provide services to around 180 patients daily in three shifts. Besides, there are plans to introduce 10 dialysis beds at each upazila-level hospital within the next two years, the health minister added.

Sakhawat Hussain said every upazila hospital would have a new nine-storey building equipped with modern ultrasound facilities and advanced pathology laboratories.

He said the revised DPP (Development Project Proposal) to increase the number of beds at upazila hospitals from 50 to 151 as part of infrastructure development and modernisation was awaiting approval.

Each 151-bed upazila hospital would have 25 dedicated beds for maternity care and another 20 special beds for children, he added.

Mentioning that the “manpower shortage” had long been the biggest challenge in the health sector, the minister said all formalities for recruiting 5,000 new doctors would be completed very soon to ensure public services. Viva examinations for recruiting more doctors through the Public Service Commission (PSC) were also underway, he added.

Calling for strict accountability to prevent unauthorised activities and irregularities at private clinics and diagnostic centres, the health minister said strict legal action would be taken if rules and regulations were not followed. Mobile court drives across the country were also being strengthened in coordination with deputy commissioners (DCs) and civil surgeons, he added.

He urged all concerned to play responsible roles in making the health sector more organised and modern.

Naogaon Sadar constituency lawmaker and chairman of the hospital management committee Zahidul Islam Dhalu, Deputy Commissioner Saiful Islam, Superintendent of the 250-bed Naogaon General Hospital Dr AM Akhtaruzzaman, and Civil Surgeon Dr Md Aminul Islam, among others, were present, reports BSS.