Rangpur community clinics serve 2.2m people annually

RANGPUR, Dec 29 (BSS): Around 2.2 million people are receiving health services with cost-free medicines for common ailments at 309 community clinics annually those have earned solid confidence of the rural people in the district.

Side by side with providing treatments and medicines, the Community Skilled Birth Attendants (CSBAs) conducted safe delivery of over 600 pregnant mothers at 48 community clinics of the district till last year.

Civil Surgeon of Rangpur Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam said a trained Community Health Care Provider (CHCP), one Health Assistant and one Family Welfare Assistant, all are trained CSBAs, are working at every community clinic.

The clinics are also providing services on maternal and neonatal healthcare, childhood illness, reproductive health, family planning, health and nutritional education, micro-nutrient supplements and establishing referral linkage with higher facilities.

"The CHCPs are referring the autistic children and children with special needs to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for specialised treatment to flourish their latent talents," Dr Islam added.

The community clinics provided treatments and medicines to around 2.2 million people including under-five babies, children, adolescents, men and women in 2018 in the district and the number would be much higher this year.

"In 2017, over 0.16 million children, 0.67 million male and 1.36 million female people received health services with cost free medicines at 309 community clinics in the district," Dr Islam said.