Give more emphasis on child health

Participants at the National Child Parliament Session 2006 held at Biam auditorium in the city yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

Child representatives from all the 64 districts, being elected by their fellow colleagues, gathered at a parliamentary session in the city yesterday to highlight the problems of the children in their respective areas.

The two-day programme under the banner of 'National Child Parliament Session 2006' began at Biam auditorium.

At yesterday's session, 64 representatives focused on hundreds of problems of the children that they faced in their healthcare.

Irregular presence of doctors, stealing of medicine from the public hospitals, sale of adulterated food items, use of chemicals on food items, discrimination in treating the poor children, lack of pure drinking water and sanitation were discussed as major problems in the session conducted in accordance with the system of national parliament where the Speaker and Deputy Speakers moderated the session.

At the parliament session organised with the financial and technical support of Save the Children Australia, the child parliamentarians aged between 14 to 16 said today's children are tomorrow's leaders, but the way they are growing up is not enough.

The government and non-government organisations must come up and put more importance on the health and education of the children, they added.

State Minister for Health Mizanur Rahman Sinha was present as chief guest at a session where he listened to the discussions and recommendations of the children on health issues.

A representative from Khulna said in most of the hospitals in the district doctors mistreat the child patients and send them to the private hospitals run by those particular doctors.

John Oye Oye Proy from Bandarban expressed serious discontent over the situation of public hospitals in the district saying those are maintained just like the cowsheds which is why people do not go there, rather take shelters of the quacks leading to deaths in case of serious illness.

"Doctors at union and thana health complexes also spend most of the time in gossiping with the representatives of the medicine companies," he added.

Nilufar Yasmin from Rajshahi said doctors and staffs at union health and family welfare centre at Puthia sell medicines outside illegally instead of providing those to the patients.

A representative from Barguna Abu Nayeem said poor children are always deprived of healthcare in public health centres.

"They wait for hours, but the doctors do not care for them. The doctors rather take care of the children of comparatively affluent families. Doctors and nurses even misbehave with the poor children," he said.

In case of raped or sexually harassed teenage girls, doctors do not want to treat them thinking that those will create troubles, as police stations or courts will direct them to issue certificates, said Jasemine Sultana Lima of Tangail.

"This is an acute problem for the girls," she noted.

There is also shortage of doctors in health complexes, the child parliamentarians said, adding that there should be nine doctors in each thana health complexes, but there are not even four doctors in those complexes.

They recommended that more mobile courts and secret inspection teams should be formed to check these irregularities in the hospitals.

Besides, telecommunication system with the hospitals should be strengthened for easy and rapid communication, they suggested.

The speakers came heavily on the businessmen who sell adulterated foods and use chemical in fruits and fruit juices and allure people through advertisements in the television channels and newspapers.

"Taking these food stuffs the over all child health of the country has deteriorated significantly," said Mir Tanvir Siddique of Brahmmanbaria.

All the products should be checked by the BSTI (Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute) through empowering it with more skilled manpower and modern technologies, he said, adding that more mobile teams should be spread out throughout the country to check the trend of adulteration and stern actions should be taken against the culprits.

Advertisements of adulterated foods should also be banned in TV channels and newspapers, they added.

They also highlighted problems of arsenic in tube wells and scarcity of pure water and sanitation facilities, especially at village schools where children face these problems.

There are toilets in some schools, but those are not separated for girls creating tremendous problems for them, said Laila Yasmin of Kishoreganj.

Arjun from Thakurgaon said the condition of toilets in some schools of his district is so bad that these cause harm to the toilet users.

He also demanded that the tubewells that pump out arsenic water should be identified.

The state minister appreciated the system of child parliament saying it will help make good politician in future.

He assured them of addressing the problems including mismanagements in the public hospitals, providing Hepatitis-B vaccine and treatment for the handicapped children free of cost.

The appointment of 4000 doctors in the hospitals will soon solve the problem of doctors, he added.

Shafiqul Islam Talukder Mamun was the Speaker, while Nargis Akter Rony and Saidur Rahman Tamal were the Deputy Speakers at the session.