Staff Reporter
State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr MA Muhit yesterday said the government is taking an initiative to implement integrated medical oxygen projects in at least 20 districts during the current fiscal year to enhance the capacity of the country’s health system.
“Following the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and the World Health Organization’s resolution of 2023, medical oxygen has been established not merely as an immediate need but as an essential component of health security,” he said.
The state minister added, “We want to move up the management of oxygen used in the healthcare sector in Bangladesh to such a standard that we can also demonstrate our success on the global scorecard.”
Dr Muhit made the remarks while addressing as the chief guest the closing ceremony and high-level policy dialogue of the two-day ‘Bangladesh Oxygen Summit’ at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) in the city, said a press release.
IUB’s Centre for Health, Implementation and Policy Sciences (CHIPS) and the Bangladesh Oxygen Network jointly organised the summit.
The state minister said in accordance with the Lancet Commission’s recommendations, the government is also giving special emphasis on achieving the ‘Oxygen Access Scorecard’ to assess the overall progress of the country’s medical oxygen system.
Emphasizing the need to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supplies for the treatment of marginalised communities, women and children with disabilities, he said there is no specific policy or definition of emergency ambulance services in the country.
“The practice of operating any vehicle as an ambulance simply by putting a light on it must be stopped,” Dr Muhit said.
He said the government has started working on a legal framework and standardization to ensure modern and quality ambulance services in the country, which will also include an effective oxygen supply system.
Other speakers, at the event, emphasized the importance of building an affordable, equitable, and sustainable medical oxygen ecosystem in the country through public-private partnerships.
