Medicare at grass-root level

FE Team | Published: January 22, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

The people of Bangladesh in general have very little access to medical services mainly because of shortage of qualified doctors, particularly in the rural areas. Usually, the graduate and post-graduate doctors are reluctant to serve in rural areas. They accept government jobs but are generally found abstaining from their duties and the existing service rules are hardly enforced to stop this practice.
The government is committed to providing health services to the people in both rural and urban areas. But since it has long become difficult to engage doctors in rural health centres, it is necessary to set up 45 medical colleges in all district towns and create a Rural Medical Service Cadre.
Doctors graduating from these medical colleges should be required to serve in government-run health centres and hospitals in the rural areas. The government should also create adequate number of positions for under-graduate doctors at Union and Upazila level public healthcare centres and hospitals. No position for Rural Doctors for government hospital or health care centres should be created. If it is done so, the doctors will be mentally prepared to serve in the rural areas from the very beginning of their career.
After serving in rural areas, a certain number of these doctors may be allowed to go abroad with employment that will open new vistas for employment and help reduce the existing unemployment problem in the country.
Seven medical colleges or universities may be set up at the seven divisional cities to provide graduate-level courses which will allow the rural doctors an opportunity to pursue higher studies after completion of a few years of service in the rural areas. These institutions should also impart special courses and training to help Rural Doctors upgrade their skills and knowledge.
Bangladesh has enough teachers to impart medical education both at under-graduate and graduate levels and the government should utilize this opportunity. A five-year action plan may be taken to set up such medical colleges in each district in phases and later set up graduate-level medical universities in each divisional headquarters.
mah120cb@yahoo.com