Prime Minister orders rollout of ‘e-Health Card’ to guarantee healthcare access for all

Tarique Rahman on Wednesday instructed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to introduce an ‘e-Health Card’ to ensure healthcare services for people across the country.

The directive came during a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat Office in the afternoon, attended by the health minister, state minister, advisers and health experts.

Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman said the premier asked the health minister to begin work on launching the e-Health Card initiative, reaffirming the government’s commitment to delivering healthcare services to people’s doorsteps. He also urged the ministry to adopt a more proactive approach in this regard.

The meeting discussed identifying abandoned buildings owned by various government offices and agencies and transferring them to the Health Ministry for conversion into healthcare centres. Ruman noted that 170 such abandoned buildings fall under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) alone. The Prime Minister directed that these unused government properties, including those under subordinate institutions and agencies, be repurposed as clinics and health centres.

Population growth was another key topic at the meeting. With an estimated 3.4 million babies born annually, concerns were raised over the rising birth rate. The Prime Minister instructed the ministry to intensify efforts to manage population growth effectively.

In line with the BNP’s election manifesto, the discussion also covered plans to recruit 100,000 health workers — 80 percent women and 20 percent men — and to fill vacant positions for doctors and other healthcare staff under the ministry. The Prime Minister further emphasized the need to ensure that doctors provide services at health centres in remote areas.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain, State Minister Dr MA Muhit, and senior government officials concerned were present at the meeting.