Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary

Six months into the BNP government’s tenure, State Minister for Health MA Muhit speaks to The Daily Star about the ministry’s plans for the healthcare system and the challenges ahead

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman yesterday directed the health authorities to urgently identify and close gaps in measles vaccination coverage, as the disease continues to claim lives even three months after the emergency vaccination campaign.

The government has decided to upgrade all upazila health complexes (UHCs) to 151-bed facilities, revising its earlier plan for 101 beds, to strengthen healthcare services at the grassroots level.

Measles continues to claim lives nearly three months after the nationwide vaccination campaign ended, with the death toll crossing the 900-mark yesterday, indicating that the outbreak is far from over.

The health authorities have extended the validity of licences for private medical facilities from one year to two years, aiming to simplify the renewal process and reduce hassle for hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres.

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The government is turning to geofencing and other digital technologies to ensure the regular attendance of doctors and health workers at public hospitals, with plans to link attendance records to salaries, leave and promotions.

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The country yesterday recorded its highest-ever daily hospitalisation of measles patients since the outbreak began in mid-March, raising fresh concerns about the persistence of the outbreak two months after the nationwide measles vaccination campaign.

Bangladesh’s public healthcare system is under growing pressure, as district and medical college hospitals are operating at nearly twice their bed capacity, leaving thousands of patients without adequate care.

Thousands of kidney patients will have to wait longer for expanded and affordable dialysis services as a government project to set up dialysis facilities at 59 hospitals has been extended by another two and a half years.

Measles continues to kill nearly four children and hospitalise more than 800 people every day, even as both the government’s response and public attention appear to have waned.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed the authorities concerned to ensure that doctors remain present at their workplaces amid allegations that many skip duty during office hours, depriving patients of essential healthcare services, health ministry officials said.

The health ministry has started implementing its plan to upgrade all 418 existing upazila health complexes (UHCs) to 101-bed facilities to accommodate the growing number of patients seeking care at public hospitals.

A government committee has recommended that entry-level doctors employed at private medical facilities be paid at least 90 percent of the basic salary of an entry-level government officer, aiming to address years of low and inconsistent wages in the private healthcare sector.

More than 1,000 new hospital beds are set to be added to Bangladesh’s public healthcare system as the government expands capacity to meet rising demand for treatment.

There was a time when family-planning slogans echoed across Bangladesh, on television screens, in newspaper pages, and at village doorsteps.

At a time when the country is grappling with a rising burden of cancer and heart and kidney diseases, a major government project aimed at decentralising specialised treatment facilities beyond Dhaka remains incomplete even after seven years.