Corruption, politicisation bring health sector to a halt

Due to financial irregularities, the World Bank, one of the largest development partners, has even suspended disbursement of fund for the Health and Population Sector Programme (HPSP), they said.

The leaders also said that the government brought the health sector to the verge of ruin by giving appointment to less qualified physicians on political grounds, enrolling ruling party activists to post-graduate medical courses and closing the planned operation of some 8,500 community clinics.

The alliance government soon after its takeover has suspended all the projects, including the community clinics, initiated during the previous AL rule, they added.

The AL organised the seminar on 'Prevailing crisis in the health sector and its solution' at the Rajuk auditorium in the city.

Presenting a keynote paper, former health minister Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim MP said that politicisation and corruption are evident in the recruitment of staffs and teachers at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Hospital.

“Most of the appointments are illegal. In 2001, the university had 207 teachers and physicians and 693 support personnel. Today the figure rose to 1,224 and 1,838 respectively, whereas the hospital has only 979 beds. Many of the employees even have no place to sit,” he said.

Moreover, the ruling party men are plundering public funds in the name of procurement of equipment for the hospital, he alleged.

The former health minister said the government has launched a revised drug policy recently, excluding the provision of controlling drug prices. “This is nothing but an opportunity for a few business magnets aligned with the alliance government to make money.”

Referring to the Transparency International report, he said the health sector has become the most corrupt sector and the report is a reflection of that.

The AL presidium member said the government has allocated Tk 17 crore for procuring a 'linear accelerator machine' recently for cancer treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital, but the actual price is not over Tk 3 crore.

He also presented a 10-point proposal to be implemented if the Awami League is voted to power.

The pledges include reopening the community clinics, appointing doctors and staff on the basis of merit, creating vacancies for doctors, nurses and staffs, setting up a training institute for capacity-building and revising the drug policy.

Prof Atiur Rahman said that reducing the child and maternal mortality rate was the main goal for the alliance government, but there has been no sign of success in the last four years of its rule.

Party's acting General Secretary Obaidul Kader, former state minister for health Prof M Amanullah, noted economist Dr Atiur Rahman, former pro-vic-chancellor of BSMMU Dr Mahmud Hasan Prof Ruhul Huq, Dr Iqbal Arsalan and Prof Syed Modasser Ali also spoke.

AL presidium member Motia Chowdhury was also present at the seminar moderated by Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin.