Multifaceted pvt-sector initiatives must to ensure health services: Prof Yunus
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Nobel laureate and Grameen Bank (GB) founder Muhammad Yunus stressed the need for multifaceted initiatives by private sector alongside government efforts to ensure health services for the people.
The Nobel laureate made the observation while speaking as the chief guest at a ceremony to mark the foundation laying of the 200-bed Kidney Foundation Hospital and Research Institute at Mirpur in the city Wednesday, report agencies.
National Professor and child specialist Dr MR Khan spoke on the occasion as the special guest. Kidney Foundation Chairman Dr Harun-ur Rashid also gave his speech on the occasion.
The poor deplore that they do not get health services while the rich go abroad for treatment as they think there is a lack of proper treatment facilities at home, Dr Yunus said.
"Government's large-scale initiatives cannot fulfil the demand of the people for medical treatment. It needs multifaceted private initiatives", he said.
He called for more initiatives to expand and improve the medical services.
The GB founder said he took initiative 15 years ago to establish self-sufficient health centres in rural areas for the poor people under health insurance and set up 38 such health centres.
Each centre had one MBBS doctor and sufficient nurses. But, he said, now a number of these health centres are running without MBBS doctors as those physicians joined other lucrative jobs, including in government organisations.
Dr Yunus, also managing director of Grameen Bank, said he has a cherished dream of establishing an international-standard medical college and hospital and also a nursing college.
"If all, particularly specialist physicians, come forward, my dream will come true", he said.
Yunus said: "In a bid to realise our dreams, we are now looking for 200 acres of land at a place where we'll found a state-of-the-art medical college and hospitals."
"Medical and health professionals graduating from the envisaged medical college should be eligible for employment anywhere in the world. Rural women receiving training at the nurses' training centre here will be recruited by well-meaning health service providers at home and abroad."
Mentioning that social responsibilities might very well be discharged alongside operating profitable businesses by running such enterprises as the proposed health services complex, he said, "Those who go abroad for better treatment now will be provided similar health care at home at this hospital at not-at-all-exorbitant expenses and, again, the poor will be treated free of cost."
Kidney Foundation Chairman Prof Harun said, "Of every six ailing persons in the country, one suffers from kidney disorders. Annually, around 40,000 kidney patients die untreated or wrongly treated, which means five die every hour."
The Nobel laureate made the observation while speaking as the chief guest at a ceremony to mark the foundation laying of the 200-bed Kidney Foundation Hospital and Research Institute at Mirpur in the city Wednesday, report agencies.
National Professor and child specialist Dr MR Khan spoke on the occasion as the special guest. Kidney Foundation Chairman Dr Harun-ur Rashid also gave his speech on the occasion.
The poor deplore that they do not get health services while the rich go abroad for treatment as they think there is a lack of proper treatment facilities at home, Dr Yunus said.
"Government's large-scale initiatives cannot fulfil the demand of the people for medical treatment. It needs multifaceted private initiatives", he said.
He called for more initiatives to expand and improve the medical services.
The GB founder said he took initiative 15 years ago to establish self-sufficient health centres in rural areas for the poor people under health insurance and set up 38 such health centres.
Each centre had one MBBS doctor and sufficient nurses. But, he said, now a number of these health centres are running without MBBS doctors as those physicians joined other lucrative jobs, including in government organisations.
Dr Yunus, also managing director of Grameen Bank, said he has a cherished dream of establishing an international-standard medical college and hospital and also a nursing college.
"If all, particularly specialist physicians, come forward, my dream will come true", he said.
Yunus said: "In a bid to realise our dreams, we are now looking for 200 acres of land at a place where we'll found a state-of-the-art medical college and hospitals."
"Medical and health professionals graduating from the envisaged medical college should be eligible for employment anywhere in the world. Rural women receiving training at the nurses' training centre here will be recruited by well-meaning health service providers at home and abroad."
Mentioning that social responsibilities might very well be discharged alongside operating profitable businesses by running such enterprises as the proposed health services complex, he said, "Those who go abroad for better treatment now will be provided similar health care at home at this hospital at not-at-all-exorbitant expenses and, again, the poor will be treated free of cost."
Kidney Foundation Chairman Prof Harun said, "Of every six ailing persons in the country, one suffers from kidney disorders. Annually, around 40,000 kidney patients die untreated or wrongly treated, which means five die every hour."