Stay at workplace or quit job; PM to govt doctors

Desk Report: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the government physicians to stay at their respective workplace to properly serve the people, saying that otherwise they could quit job.

"When we're appointing doctors in upazilas, many of them don't want to stay at their workplace. Rather they live in Dhaka somehow by managing it. If the doctors intend to stay in Dhaka in this way they don't need to do government job," she said.

"They could earn huge amount of money by doing private practice in the capital. So it's better for them to go home after resign from their job ... we will give fresh appointments in their place," she added.

The prime minister said this while addressing a function on the occasion of handing over keys of ambulances to seven government hospitals and establishments at her office on Thursday morning.

Health Minister Mohammad Nasim and State Minister for Health Zahid Maleque Swapan spoke on the occasion.

Health Services Division Secretary Md Serajul Huq Khan delivered the welcome address, while Director General of Health Services Abul Kalam Azad gave the concluding speech.

Liberation War Affairs Minister A K M Mozammel Haque, Prime Minister's Advisor HT Imam and State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Narayan Chandra Chanda, PM's Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury and Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim were present.

Sheikh Hasina also directed authorities concerned to further improve standard of education in the medical colleges to create quality physicians in the country.

She said the government has set up a huge number of medical colleges in the country. "We've already given permission to establish medical colleges in five cantonments and such colleges will be set up in other cantonment gradually," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the authorities will have to monitor that what type of treatment is being provided from these medical colleges. "They'll have to look into whether 'patient-killing doctors' or 'patient-saving doctors' are being created in these medical colleges," she said.

The prime minister said her government has set up Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in Dhaka, while two new medical universities -- one in Chittagong and another in Rajshahi -- are also being established for ensuring higher education for medical students and further improving healthcare services.

The prime minister advised medical students to take optimum advantage of countrywide Internet services saying "it would be fruitful for the medical students if they follow classes and lectures of the reputed colleges and universities across the globe through internet".

Sheikh Hasina suggested opening up scopes for foreign doctors to be in Bangladesh as teachers so the country's medical students and doctors could gather experiences through academic interactions.

"The people of the country would not need to go abroad if the foreign specialist doctors come to Bangladesh . . . they could get foreign treatment here," she said.

The premier said the government was sensitive about the government doctors' accommodation problems in grassroots but "I already directed the housing and public works ministry to build multistoried building in upazilas to solve housing problems of the government staff including physicians".

The premier laid emphasis on creating a trust fund for the community clinics so none could halt its activities again like what the BNP-Jamaat government did in the past.

"The BNP-Jamaat government took a suicidal step by closing the clinics and if they come to power, they will shut down it again," she said.

She also put emphasis on introducing river ambulance services in island and haor regions and asked the health ministry to create a fund to this end during formulation of annual budget of the ministry._BSS

risingbd/Dhaka/December 28, 2017/A K Azad