To bring healthcare to the doorsteps of the people, 100,000 new health workers and 25,000 midwives will be appointed in the next three to four years.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health (State Minister rank) SM Ziauddin Hyder on Sunday shared this information.
He made this known at a press conference at the Secretariat. The press conference was held in connection with his recent tour of Europe, including participation in the 34th International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Triennial Congress held in Portugal’s capital Lisbon.
Ziauddin Hyder said, “On the 12th of this month, I went to Lisbon of Portugal, where the 34th International Congress of the International Confederation of Midwives was held. More than 3,000 midwives from 122 countries and representatives of various international organizations including UNFPA participated there. Parliamentarians and ministers from many countries also came. There was a three-day conference. We were invited there as the main speaker of the inaugural ceremony of this congress from Bangladesh.”
He said, “We announced there that the government led by our current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is giving most of the emphasis to strengthen the primary healthcare of our country. We are working on how to make our medical system better, which is traditionally treatment-centric, prevention-centric.”
“We said that Bangladesh will recruit about one lakh new health workers in the next three to four years, so that we can bring healthcare, especially preventive healthcare, to the doorstep of every person. We will also recruit 25,000 midwives in phases in the next three to four years.”
Ziauddin Hyder further said, “Our aim is that when any of our mothers have a normal delivery, she can be taken to a union health center. What we call primary healthcare units, there will be one primary healthcare unit in each union. There will also be one primary healthcare unit in each ward of the city. Normal deliveries will take place here in these units. At least two midwives will be on duty in each primary healthcare unit.”
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
