She gets ‘South-South Cooperation Visionary Award’
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said the researchers of medical science must find ways for prevention of new diseases and provide people with low cost healthcare services.
She said healthcare services are a basic right of the people. Only a healthy person can play a role in the nation building activities, and a doctor is the best friend of an ailing person to ensure the basic rights.
She was inaugurating the newly constructed outdoor complex of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) at Shahbagh in Dhaka in the afternoon.
“A little sympathy of a doctor can help a patient to forget pain and distress. You have to keep in mind that patients are guests in a hospital. So, you have to see that your behavior doesn’t hurt the patients,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said BSMMU is currently the only medical university in the country where students and researchers could carry out research activities alongside attaining higher education on medical science.
She said the number of outbound patients has remarkably decreased over the last few years against the backdrop of improvement of medical services in the country. But the healthcare services should not be limited only in curing patients of diseases.
“Higher research is necessary for achieving excellence in this field of medical science,” she said adding keeping this in view, her government during its past stint transformed the country’s lone postgraduate hospital into a medical university.
At that time, Sheikh Hasina said, the teachers and employees leaned to BNP and Jamaat, opposed the decision, and even went for violent agitation in the name of movement.
But Awami League always thinks with foresight and vision, and on the passage of time it has been proved the decision of establishing the University was right, the PM said.
She said in 1996 the country had many higher institutions for studies in the general and technical education. But, there was no such institution for medical studies.
After transformation of PG hospital into a university, the healthcare services of the hospital have improved and many facilities created benefiting the common people, she said.
Sheikh Hasina said commoners had no access to PG hospital. Only the people of upper class and a privileged section could enjoy the healthcare services there. Now the hospital is open for all.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim and State Minister of the Ministry Zahid Malek also spoke on the occasion while Vice Chancelleor of the University Professor Pran Gopal Dutta was in the chair. Secretary of the Ministry Syed Manjurul Islam gave the welcome address.
Pointing out her government’s plan to establish two more medical universities in the country, the Prime Minister said she has already asked the concerned authorities to take necessary measures in this regard.
New medical universities will be established in Chittagong and Rajshahi while all medical colleges will come under the medical universities in their respective region, she said.
Sheikh Hasina said, the government has already directed the concerned authorities to take steps for transformation of hospitals over 500-bed into medical colleges, particularly those under the military administration.
She also asked the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to take initiative for establishing a separate wing for general hospital at Railway Hospital in Kamalapur to provide healthcare services to general patients in the capital city.
Against the backdrop of detection of new diseases across the world, she hoped that physicians would be more attentive to medical research works and try to find new paths for and prevention of diseases and low cost treatment facilities.
Sheikh Hasina thanked the BSMMU authority for constitution of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to upgrade its research activities to international standard.
The Prime Minister said her government is striving to reach the health care services to the doorstep of the people. In view of this, she said, about 13,500 community clinics and 1,500 Union Health Centers were set up across the in the country.
She said BNP-Jamaat government in its previous tenure closed the community clinic programmes on political grounds depriving rural people of getting basic healthcare services.
Rural people particularly children and women are now getting free medicines from these centers and clinics side by side with getting primary medical services and health related information, she said.
The Prime Minister mentioned that BSMMU is being developed as a center of excellence where an autism center has been set up for care of the autistic children and a palliative care unit for marginal patients in the death-bed.
She said bachelor course has already been introduced at the BSMMU for further modernizing nursing education and creating more trained nurses along with creating opportunities for their higher education.
About recruitment of new doctors, the Prime minister said her government appointed over 8,500 assistant surgeons and assistant dental surgeons through BCS examinations as well as more than four thousand assistant surgeons on ad-hoc basis in the last couple of years.
“We have all measures to ensure healthcare services for the people and the government is now giving attention to provide necessary nutrition for people,” the Prime Minister said.
Earlier, the Prime Minister formally inaugurated the outdoor complex comprising of two OPD units through unveiling the plaque. She also placed a floral wreath at the mural of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman set up inside the complex.
Another report says: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has got ‘South-South Cooperation Visionary Award’ of the United Nations for her extraordinary role in advancing Bangladesh towards digital system and the expansion of education through revolutionary concepts.
The award was given on the concluding day of the five-day “Global South South Development Expo-2014″ held in the US capital of Washington on Friday, according to a message received here on Saturday.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Information and Communication Technology Sajeeb Wazed Joy received the award on behalf of Prime Minister and his mother Sheikh Hasina. A Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General, Ei Ping Jhu, handed over the award to Joy.
In his instant reaction to reporters after receiving the award, Joy said: “Bangladesh is moving forward under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina administration, the award is recognition of it.”
–Our Monitor (Photo: PID)
