By Barun Kumar Das

DHAKA, July 30, 2025 (BSS) – The BNP government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has taken various pragmatic steps to reorganise the country's health sector aimed at  ensuring quality primary healthcare for all especially for people in grassroots level.

With the implementation of the programme, people no longer have to go to towns or cities for treatment as modern treatment facilities will be available at the district and upazila levels.

The initiatives will help reduce people’s suffering and strengthen the grassroots healthcare system, sources familiar with the development observed.

Under the initiative, upazila level hospitals will be upgraded to 101 beds to strengthen the grassroots healthcare system. In addition, there will be health units in every union and city ward, according to health ministry sources here recently.

Primary medical services will be available there while emergency departments, indoor and outdoor services and modern pathology facilities, including ICU facilities, will remained open 24/7 in the 101-bed hospitals at the upazila level. 

There will be one female and one male physiotherapist in each hospital to strengthen rural healthcare.

The district level hospitals will be provided with modern medical services for various complex diseases, including cancer and kidney disease. 

These hospitals would be manning with adequate manpower, so that they could provide required treatment at the district and grassroots levels.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain told BSS here on Saturday that the incumbent government has taken various steps to build a transparent, accountable, and people-oriented healthcare system. 

He said the government is working with the highest priority to ensure quality healthcare at the grassroots level. 

In continuation of this, the minister said, initiatives have been taken to form 'primary healthcare units' in each union and launch 'health screening' or health check-up programmes.

An especial allocation of Taka 27,600 crore has been proposed for the fiscal 2026-27 to take and implement various activities to this end in line with the BNP's election manifesto.

Regarding universal health coverage, the election manifesto says primary healthcare will be established on the basis of the health system where treatment will be available for all. 

One in each union and one or more primary healthcare units will be established in each ward of the city based on the UK's General Practitioner (GP) model. 

There will be three healthcare centres (community clinics) under each primary healthcare unit while trained community health workers in each centre will work there.

A total of Taka 69,309 crore has been allocated for the health sector in the proposed budget for 2026-27, which is 1.1 percent of the GDP. 

In the current fiscal 2025-26, only Taka 34,719 crore was allocated for this sector. The allocation for the health sector has been doubled in the proposed budget for the fiscal 2026-27 compared to fiscal 2025-26.

Every citizen will be given an electronic health (e-health) card, through which doctors at any hospital or clinic in the country will be able to view the patient's previous treatment record and medication information.

A pilot project has been implemented involving Taka 162 crore to provide 25 lakh e-health cards in five districts - Khulna, Noakhali, Bogura, Sirajganj and Narsingdi.

Besides, the government will soon appoint 5,000 doctors as part of the expansion of healthcare services at the union, ward, upazila and district levels. Apart from this, one lakh health workers will be appointed to this end, said State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. M A Muhith here recently. 

However, 25,000 midwives will be appointed in the next three to four years to strengthen grassroots healthcare services. 

“There will be two midwives in each union. Various types of medical services, including normal delivery, will be available there,” said Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr SM Ziauddin Haider here recently.

He said, the government is going to open five specialised children's hospitals with capacity of 200 beds in Khulna, Barishal, Rangpur, Rajshahi and Cumilla divisions within the next six months. 

Each hospital will have ICU facilities, central air-conditioning system and scope for future expansion.

Public health expert Prof. Dr. Mushtaq Hossain told BSS that the health infrastructure at the district, upazila, union and ward levels must be strengthened. 

“If effective primary healthcare is ensured at the union level, major changes will come. The upazila health system should be upgraded to secondary healthcare,” he added.