Major boost planned for rural healthcare
The government has decided to upgrade all existing 31-bed and 50-bed upazila health complexes into 101-bed facilities in a major move aimed at expanding quality healthcare services at the grassroots level across the country.
Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman disclosed the decision at a weekly press briefing held today at the conference room of the Press Information Department (PID) at the Secretariat.
During the briefing, he outlined key field-level progress made by different ministries in recent weeks, with particular emphasis on developments in the health sector.
According to him, only eight upazilas in the country currently have 100-bed upazila health complexes. To bridge this gap and enhance service delivery, the government has initiated a nationwide programme to convert all remaining 31-bed and 50-bed facilities into 101-bed hospitals.
He further said the government has also taken steps to introduce electric ambulances built with local technological support to ensure faster emergency medical response. The initiative will be developed with technical assistance from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman added that at a high-level meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on June 6 with officials from the Health Ministry, it was decided to begin implementation of the project by selecting one upazila as a model site.
Addressing public health concerns, particularly dengue, he said the “National Training Programme on Clinical Management of Dengue” has officially begun. The first phase of training was conducted on June 7 at Bangladesh Medical University, involving physicians from different parts of the country. He added that similar specialised training sessions will be gradually organised in all seven divisions outside Dhaka as well as in all districts.
The adviser also said a study is ongoing to modernise the national grid system in preparation for the nuclear power era. He informed that the price of a 12-kilogram LPG cylinder has been reduced to Tk 1,885, while the increased electricity tariff for lifeline and first-tier consumers has been suspended and earlier rates have been maintained.
On education and food security, he said a training programme for 12,000 teachers has been launched to integrate career-oriented education into the curriculum of the National University. He also noted that over 2.2 million students took part in the Primary School Gold Cup Football Tournament.
He further stated that subsidised food items are being distributed through 1,100 centres across the country under the Open Market Sale (OMS) programme, with government warehouses currently storing more than 1.874 million metric tonnes of food grains.
Finally, he said that 100 percent of the demand for sacrificial animals during this year’s Eid-ul-Azha was fulfilled through livestock produced by local farmers.
