Govt firm to reach healthcare to villages: Azad

Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad Tuesday said the government is committed to reaching healthcare to the doorsteps of the people by establishing community clinics at union level, reports BSS. At present, he said, 9,722 community clinics are functioning at union level across the country. Azad said doctors are being recruited in phases to fill the vacant posts at upazila and district levels. The information minister was addressing as the chief guest a function to launch two books written by Dr Arup Ratan Chowdhury at the Jatiya Press Club in the city. National Professor Dr Nurul Islam and former Army Chief Lt Gen (retd) Haroon-or-Rashid also spoke at the function with Director General of Bangla Academy Shamsuzzaman Khan in the chair. The books are titled 'Sundar Danter Sundar Hashi' and 'Fifty Problems and Solutions of Nail and Teeth'. About the unwillingness of doctors to go to villages, Azad reminded them of the expenditure of public money in the educational institutions, including medical colleges. The minister asked the doctors to repay their debt to the people by rendering minimum service to them. Describing the significance of this month (March), the information minister said, "We have got freedom of speech but have not yet achieved economic emancipation." He urged all to work together to make Bangladesh a middle-income country by 2021 as envisaged by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.