Staff reporter:
State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr MA Muhit today said the government is working to strengthen the upazila-level healthcare system and establish an effective referral network to improve women’s health services.
“The government is giving the highest priority to structural reforms in the health sector, prevention and health promotion in line with its electoral commitments, with a particular focus on taking primary healthcare to grassroots communities,” he said.
The state minister made the remarks while addressing the 3rd International Scientific Conference of the Endometriosis-Adenomyosis Society of Bangladesh at a city hotel as the chief guest this afternoon, said a press release.
Dr Muhit said millions of women in Bangladesh suffer from long-term and progressive diseases such as endometriosis, but many remain undiagnosed due to social taboos and lack of awareness.
To address this situation, the government has planned to recruit 100,000 new health workers, including at least 50,000 women health workers, he said.
The state minister called for developing simple training modules for the women health workers, saying their direct interaction with women at the grassroots level would help raise awareness, facilitate early detection of diseases and establish appropriate referral pathways.
Highlighting the overcrowding and suffering of patients at major hospitals, particularly in Dhaka, Dr Muhit said the number of patients receiving treatment at major hospitals in the capital is several times higher than their bed capacity.
“The main reason behind this is the lack of an effective referral network,” he added.
If upazila and district-level hospitals can be modernised with skilled manpower, trained physicians and necessary equipment, around 80 percent of people would be able to receive appropriate treatment in their own localities, the state minister said.
He said the government is primarily working to strengthen the capacity of local and district hospitals so that patients would not need to travel to major cities for services that could be provided closer to home.
Dr Muhit also stressed the importance of research in improving the country’s healthcare system.
Although Bangladesh has highly skilled and trained physicians, the country is lagging somewhat behind in international-standard research and publications due to workload and resource constraints, he said.
The government would provide all-out support to encourage young physicians to engage in research, he said, adding that proposals that are specific and of good quality would receive all necessary support at the state level.
Highlighting other challenges in women’s health, the state minister said around 5,000 women die every year in Bangladesh from serious diseases such as cervical cancer.
The government plans to expand cancer treatment services to all divisional levels to reduce such deaths and ensure early diagnosis at the appropriate time, he said.
The scientific conference organised in collaboration with the Asian Society of Endometriosis and Adenomyosis was attened by renowned physicians and professionals from the health sector.
