Health insurance coverage for all underscored

There should be health insurance coverage for all to ensure better medicare within their affordability, officials and experts have said.
They also emphasised the need for formulating health insurance policies.
The speakers made the above observations at the concluding session of a three-day-long conference on 'Realising UHC (Universal Health Care) Goals' in the city on Saturday.
Health Minister Mohammad Nasim was the chief guest at the session chaired by Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman, Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) that organised the conference.
Specialists and officials of different government organisations were present in the programme.
Mukesh Chawla, Adviser, Health, Nutrition & Population Global Practice of the World Bank in his opening speech said it is necessary to achieve more development to meet the millennium development goals (MDGs).
He said a lot of money will be needed for ensuring better health services but Bangladesh, as a least developed country, should not be worried over money.
Shamsul Alam, member, General Economic Division in the Bangladesh Planning Commission, said a proper public sector health policy should be devised including health insurance coverage for people.
He said the recommendations for a better policy must come from the practising physicians and experts.
Dr Rashidee Mahbub, former president of the Bangladesh Medical Association, said the corporate insurance companies may devise a system so that people can come under health coverage within their affordability.
He said it is a dire need to provide training and educate both the public and private sector human resources.
Ahmed Chowdhury Mushtaque, vice-chair of the BRAC, said the UHC has to be a transforming agenda that would convince the politicians and technocrats.
He said three major micro-credit institutions operating in the country have 20 million clientele and if the government supports, health insurance could be introduced among them initially.
Dr Saleh Uddin Ahmed, former central bank governor said health services must be improved at public level.
He said the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) is yet to form policies and they should do it facilitating health insurance so that one may continue paying the instalments.
Among others who spoke on the occasion were Prof AK Azad Khan, president of the BADAS, Prof Nazmun Nahar, director general of the BIRDEM, Prof Md Abul Faiz, former DG of the ministry of health and family welfare, Maj Gen Robiul Hossain, DG, DGMS, Bangladesh Armed Forces and Prof Tahmina Banu, head of pediatric surgery at Chittagong Medical College and Hospital.
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