Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain held a high-level meeting with members of the Health Sector Reform Commission on Thursday to discuss the implementation of recommendations aimed at overhauling the nation’s healthcare system.
The meeting, held at the conference room of the Ministry of Health in the Secretariat, focused on a detailed roadmap for executing the commission’s proposals. The delegation was led by the Chairman of the Commission, Professor AK Azad Khan.
During the session, commission members assured the minister of their continued cooperation in ensuring accountability, security, and people-oriented healthcare services.
A primary focus of the discussion was the urgent need to increase the health sector budget to strengthen primary healthcare. Members argued that an effective primary health system would significantly reduce the overall disease burden, lower treatment costs, and alleviate the excessive pressure currently placed on tertiary-level hospitals.
It was noted during the meeting that the commission’s report reflects a wide range of perspectives, incorporating suggestions from doctors, public health experts, administrative officers, researchers, and health workers. Furthermore, the report includes various recommendations provided by the Standing Committee of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The commission highlighted a significant alignment between its recommendations and the BNP’s health manifesto, particularly concerning health sector reforms, digital health systems, accountability, the security of physicians, and the improvement of service quality.
Minister Sakhawat assured the commission that the government would take initiatives to implement these critical recommendations in a phased manner.
The meeting was attended by prominent commission members, including Professor Syed Akram Hossain, Chairman of the Department of Clinical Oncology at Bangladesh Medical University; Dr. Mohammad Zakir Hossain; Professor Dr. Liaquat Ali; MM Reza; and Dr Azharul Islam.
The Health Sector Reform Commission was established during the tenure of the interim government and has recently submitted its formal recommendations to the authorities.
