DHAKA, July 31, 2024 (BSS)- Zinnat Ferdowsi is working at Sandhanpur Health and Family Welfare Center in Ghatail upazila of Tangail as a Family Planning Inspector (FPI) who is better known as ‘Parikolpona Apa’.
 
But her tale of growing up was not pleasant. She saw the death of her new born brother without any treatment. The tragic incident made her shocked and speechless. Her mother also fell sick. But her father AKM Shahbuddin, a farmer by profession, had no ability to bear the cost of treatment.
 
Zinat came from Singgura village in Nagarpur upazila of Tangail district. Among two brothers and two sisters, Zinnat was the third. After the death of her brother, Zinnat decided to work for the well being of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
 
She had a dream to become a doctor or nurse and work for mother and children. But, her poor parents had no ability to bear the cost of her education. After passing SSC examination, she was forced to stop her studies.
 
Zinnat said, “I knew a porikolpana apa of my area who visited our house regularly. After knowing my dream, she suggested me to apply for Family Planning Inspector (FPI), as I was looking for opportunities to work for children and women.”
 
At the advise of Porikolpona Apa, Zinnat applied for the post of FPI under Family Planning Department in 2015. She was selected for the basic training of FPI after successful completion of recruitment examination.
 
Zinnat said she did an 18-month long basic training from Family Welfare Visitors' Training Institute (FWVTI) at Tangail under the supervision of National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT). After completion of the training she passed the final examination held by Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council and NIPORT in December in 2017.
 
Later, she joined as Family Planning Inspector (Paribar Kallyan Paridarshika) at Sandhyanpur Health and Family Welfare Centre in 2018.
 
Zinnat said mother and child mortality was high in her area at that time. So, she wanted to work in this area.
 
Many initiatives have been taken for the development of mother and child in the country under the initiative of the government. Official sources said integrated child care programmes were adopted as a key strategy in Bangladesh in 1995. In continuation of this, the present government has adopted MNC&AH operational plan in an effort to achieve sustainable development goals by reducing the death of newborns and children aged from zero to 59 months.
 
According to a source of the health department, about 75.11 lakh children below 5 years have been given treatment under this project in 2018. The key feature of this medical system is to deliver healthcare services at people's doorsteps at low cost.
 
And family welfare inspectors are working to provide these services at the field level. They are playing an important role in improving the health of mothers and children in their area.
 
Zinnat said, “I feel happy to work for the welfare of mother and children. I’m living with my family and providing the service to mothers and children. My parents are also happy with my job.
 
Former Director of Mother and Child Health Unit of Family Planning Department Md. Sharif said there are around 603 health and family welfare centers across the country. Families are getting treatment facilities and counseling regularly from those centers.