Health service for the poor

---

THE participants in a two-day National Health Rights Conference held recently in the city under the sponsorship of Health Research and Rights Foundation, stressed the need for raising health consciousness among the masses. According to them, due to lack of awareness, the poor are being deprived of the basic health services.
The doctors and other health specialists who addressed the conference demanded more budgetary allocation in the health sector. But we believe that if the allocation is raised, the benefit of the enhanced allocation will not reach the poor to any significant extent, because the distribution process is faulty. So it is neither the question of consciousness nor of higher allocation. Health awareness of the poor patients must be matched by a sense of duty on the part of those who matter -- planners, health administrators, medical personnel, hospital authorities etc. Actually awareness of the common people on health issues has grown in recent years. Consciousness about safe food and drinking water has also grown. The common people have responded positively to all health challenges but the levers of health service are operated not by those for whom the same are essentially meant.
Corruption and poor service quality in the government hospitals and profit-driven mentality of the private hospitals are creating a gap, in terms of access, between the available health services and the poor people. Such problems do need to be addressed effectively.

Ahmed Munir
Satmasjid Road, Dhaka