Universal health protection

Mohammad Siddiqur Rahman :
Most of the people in our country are poor, malnourished, dying due to lack of nutrition, unable to afford the cost of treatment and as a result stay in sickness almost all year round. Now it remains to be seen how much their treatment is available in the country.
We all know that ‘Health is Wealth’, as a man can’t work well if he is not in good health. We get out of home, join different workplaces and engage in various pursuits every day. In fact, we get ourselves involved in multiple productions in various sectors and keep the economy running, so obviously, we have to maintain good health to accomplish the designated task and boost the development of the country.
Herein I would like to shed light on the progress in health sector of Bangladesh since its inception of independence 1971. At present, there are 112 recognized medical colleges in it, 37 of which are public and 70 private. Apart from this, six medical colleges are run by the Bangladesh Armed Forces and are under the Ministry of Defence. Despite of having many constraints and loopholes, Ministry of Health has made several phenomenal progress in the sector by setting up a good number of new medical colleges and hospitals by this time . Now it has happily focused on Universal Health Protection, i.e. ensuring Universal Health Care for all. The bottom line is that everybody will get doctor, treatment, medicine in case of illness, the poor will get the services free of cost, and the rich will get the treatment against payment of necessary fees.
It is in the cognizance that maternal and child mortality rates have been decreased and life expectancy has increased to 73 from 43, hospitals are getting more crowded, public enjoying more facilities and better services available than before . The country has done very well in achieving the target of the Millennium Development Goals. Presently working on Sustainable Development Goals wherein it is being said that no one can be left behind in the community. It goes without saying that this is a big plan. In case of Universal Health Protection, nobody would be excluded from the care of medical services regardless of status like the social welfare countries. The door of the hospital shall remain open equally to all. It may not be possible in near future but it could be made possible by 2030 or 2032 by increasing the budget in the health sector.
What about the quality of medicine? There have been instances of fake medicine factories, authorities must be more vigilant than ever to detect them by routine raids and let them be severely punished. The pharmaceutical industries should maintain the quality of their products and keep the cost of medicine at reasonable rate for us. Awareness needs be created among the buyers and sellers about the fake and illegal medicine.
Universal health insurance policy will be prerequisite for health care for all, so it has to be introduced in the country in future. The poor will not have to pay the premium but the rich must pay the premium to cover the cost of services like the civilized countries. This policy is one of the crucial aspects in implementing the plan of Universal Health Protection.
Heart disease, lungs infection, kidney failure, diabetes, mental sickness and blood pressure have been gradually increasing due to climate change, rapid urbanization, uncertainty of life and many other nightmares along the way. Cancer is also on the increase, the cost of treatment is very expensive and beyond affordability.
Nevertheless, people can get a lot of relief from the above diseases if they are a bit conscious about their health. There are many ways; physical exercise is one of the best ways to avoid sickness. Everybody needs physical exercise/physical activity to stay healthy, a little more activity can add up to big health benefits. It is exercise lowers blood pressure, cholesterol level, blood sugar, anxiety, improves sleep, reduces stress, helps arthritis, releases dopamine and helps period cramps.
Conclusively, encouraging physical exercise should be one of the policies of the government on its Universal Health Protection Plan. We fervently urge the concerned authority to focus on the matter on priority basis and launch a Nationwide Major Project in this regard very soon.

(The writer is ex Country Manager of Biman Bangladesh Airlines in Frankfurt, Germany).