e-Health Card to be launched by June: Health minister

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has expressed hope of launching the national e-Health Card by June to make the country's healthcare stronger, more integrated, and effective.

He also said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed the implementation of this card as one of the priority initiatives to strengthen public service delivery.

The minister made these remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the closing session of a two-day high-level policymaking workshop on reviewing preparations for the implementation of the national e-Health Card, held at a hotel in Dhaka today.

The health minister said once the e-Health Card is launched, the overall healthcare system of the country will benefit. Wherever a patient -- from village to city -- receives treatment, physicians would be able to access essential health-related information through the card, enabling them to diagnose and provide treatment more effectively.

He further said the e-Health Card would serve as a foundational identity framework in the health sector. As a result, individuals could be accurately identified across different healthcare systems, while hospitals, clinics, and other service providers would be able to exchange medical information securely.

The workshop was jointly organised by the Aspire to Innovate (a2i) programme of the ICT Division, the Health Services Division, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).