State Minister for Health and Family Welfare MA Muhit has announced that the implementation of e-health cards is imminent, marking a fundamental shift in the country’s health sector.
Speaking at a seminar held at Bangladesh Medical Association conference room in the capital on Thursday afternoon, the state minister highlighted the government’s commitment to remodelling the entire health system.
He emphasised the strategic importance of a digital roadmap and the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to strengthen primary healthcare services.
Muhit noted that these initiatives are part of a broader vision outlined in the election manifesto and various policy statements aimed at digitising the entire health system.
Refuting any suggestion of hasty planning, the state minister explained that the current roadmap was developed through a “participatory process” involving health experts from both home and abroad over the past one-and-a-half to two years.
This extensive collaboration is reflected in “Healthy Bangladesh” (Suwasthyer Bangladesh) documentation.
Regarding the rapid pace of technological change, Muhit observed that progress that previously took five to ten years is now achieved within two.
He pointed out that while AI was not a primary focus in the health sector even two or two-and-a-half years ago, it has now become a priority, with e-health cards and digital prescriptions on the verge of becoming a reality.
The state minister underscored the necessity of an ideal platform where government agencies, NGOs, and academic researchers can work together from different perspectives to achieve the common goal of ensuring basic healthcare as a state priority for all.
The seminar was also attended by Director General of the Health Economics Unit (Additional Secretary) Mohammad Enamul Haque and the Additional Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Professor Foara Tasmim, among others.
