Prime Minister announces plan to hire 100,000 health workers

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced that the government will recruit 100,000 health workers to strengthen primary healthcare services nationwide, with women expected to make up 80 percent of the new hires.

He made the announcement on Saturday while addressing a conference of Upazila Health and Family Planning Officers (UHFPOs) at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.

The prime minister said efforts are underway to improve healthcare services at district and upazila hospitals, while also narrowing the gap in access between urban and rural areas.

“We will upgrade medical services at district and upazila hospitals. Work is ongoing to eliminate disparities in healthcare between cities and villages,” he said.

He added that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government has a long-term roadmap for the health sector and plans to gradually increase healthcare spending to five percent of GDP.

The prime minister also criticised the previous two governments over shortcomings in measles vaccination, describing them as a life-threatening failure.

He said all hospitals and health centres across the country would be brought under accountability frameworks. To improve service delivery, an integrated e-health card system will be introduced, followed by a national health insurance programme in phases.

Calling for cooperation from the medical community, Tarique said the government needs physicians’ support to ensure quality healthcare. He also assured that doctors’ security concerns would be addressed promptly, while other outstanding issues would be resolved in stages.

The prime minister further noted that, alongside increasing subsidies, the government has had to urgently import oil worth more than $2 billion from the international market.