People's awareness a must to ensure health rights

They said unless and until the health service receivers know about their health rights they would not be able to claim the services they are supposed to receive from the government healthcare centres at upazila and union levels.

They were speaking at the conference held at a non-government health service centre at Kaultia union under sadar upazila of Gazipur district.

The conference was part of a Health Rights Project taken in August 2004 for three years by an NGO--Population Services and Training Centre (PSTC).

Dr Nitai Kanti Das, project director of the Project, at the conference said due to ignorance people are not receiving the services available at the health centres at upazila and union levels.

That is why awareness about health rights is essential to get the existing services and make doctors bound to provide the services, he said.

Dr M Abdur Razzak, health and family welfare officer of Gazipur sadar upazila, said people often complain that doctors remain absent at the government healthcare centres and free medicines are not given free to the people.

He also mentioned the problems of doctors in providing services to the people.

Members of the client association after a group discussion put forward a set of problems and recommendations about the rights of service receivers, problems of doctors and service centres.

The recommendations include that doctors have to be present at the service centres in time and should behave cordially with the patients. Identifying the doctors' problem the discussion recommended the government to provide doctors more incentives so that they can provide better service to the people.

Regarding the service centres, the participants suggested that ambulances be provided in the all healthcare centres, there should be women doctors for women, the number of doctors and nurses be raised and security of the centres be enhanced.

Zahanul Haq Babul, field coordinator of the project, Dr Belayet Hossain, president and M A Khaleq, team leader of Gazipur sadar upazila client association, were present at the conference among others.

PSTC is implementing the Health Rights Project in 60 unions under 15 upazilas of seven districts by forming upazila and union client association. It trains locals on health rights and make them members of the association.

PSTC organises client conferences at upazila and union levels in their project areas in order to raise awareness of people about the health rights, the organisers said.