Patient care must come before politics: PM
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday urged doctors to keep politics from interfering with their professional responsibilities, saying patient care must remain their foremost duty as the government seeks to strengthen the country’s healthcare system.
Addressing a doctors’ rally marking the 37th founding anniversary of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) at the LD Hall premises of the Jatiya Sangsad, the Prime Minister said political involvement should never be allowed to compromise professional duties.
“Political involvement should never become a reason for failing to perform professional duties. This is most important,” he said.
Tarique Rahman said an ongoing debate surrounds the extent to which students, teachers and professionals should participate in politics.
He said it was not unreasonable for students, teachers and professionals in a democratic country to remain politically aware or organised according to their own beliefs and ideologies, as political decisions influence almost every aspect of public life.
“But political involvement must not hinder the performance of your professional duties,” he said, urging DAB doctors to remain mindful of the issue.
The Prime Minister said there was a strong and growing demand across the country for qualitative changes in politics, with people seeking to move beyond traditional political practices and bring broader changes across different sectors, particularly since August 5.
Tarique also called for greater emphasis on disease prevention, saying many illnesses could be avoided if people were made aware of their causes and preventive measures at an early stage.
As part of the government’s efforts to expand preventive healthcare, he said another 100,000 health workers would be recruited to raise public awareness about basic healthcare and disease prevention.
Referring to government measures in the health sector, including a decision to increase the number of beds at upazila health complexes to 101 and plans to introduce health cards soon, he stressed the need for doctors to remain committed to serving people.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that doctors face various limitations while performing their duties. However, he warned that unintended negligence or laxity could undermine public confidence.
“Even then, unintended negligence or laxity in discharging duties can, on the one hand, raise questions about the government’s overall activities and, on the other, create public distrust in doctors and the healthcare system,” he said.
He said people expected doctors to play a more responsible and humane role in ensuring healthcare services.
Tarique urged doctors at all levels-from upazila and district hospitals to divisional and central facilities-to work alongside the government to improve the healthcare system.
“Without your cooperation, support and help, it will not be possible for the government to implement these plans,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the government had allocated the second-highest budget ever for the health sector as part of its efforts to modernise and strengthen the country’s healthcare system.
He said the government was also working to introduce universal health coverage as soon as possible and had taken steps to bring every upazila health complex under the system.
Tarique called for collective efforts to build a healthcare-friendly Bangladesh where every citizen would receive quality medical care and people would no longer have to travel abroad for advanced treatment.
The Prime Minister said the government had inherited a fragile state, including a weak economy, a divided administration and struggling education and healthcare systems, and was working to bring the country back on its feet.
He alleged that a vested quarter that had benefited from fascism remained active in the country’s political and administrative spheres.
“You have surely noticed recently that a group is very actively trying, very carefully, to destabilise the energy and power sectors. They are presenting various misleading statements in different ways,” Tarique Rahman said.
He acknowledged that many people were currently suffering because of problems related to electricity and gas shortages.
“We know this,” he said, adding that the government had also inherited a fragile system in the energy sector.
According to the Prime Minister, the country was now paying the price for unplanned policies and programmes adopted in the past in the gas, fuel and petroleum sectors, including policies allegedly designed to benefit particular groups.
He said the government had already started addressing the problems and was seeking to develop a proper plan to gradually bring the country and its people out of the energy crisis, including those involving fuel and gas.
Tarique said the government had also begun implementing realistic plans to make the education, health, energy and other sectors more self-reliant.
Earlier, Tarique Rahman and his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman planted two saplings on the LD Hall premises before the rally began.
The Prime Minister then hoisted the national flag as the national anthem was played. He and Zubaida later inaugurated the doctors’ rally by releasing pigeons and balloons.
Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, PM’s wife Dr Zubaida Rahman, Women and Children Affairs Minister Prof AZM Zahid Hossain, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain, State Minister MA Muhit, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Health SM Ziauddin Haider and DAB Secretary General Zahirul Islam Shakil also addressed the gathering.
DAB President Prof Harun Al Rashid chaired the programme.
