The prime minister has once again warned doctors of serious consequences
if they do not report for duty regularly at their rural assignments.
"All physicians must be present at their places of work to serve the people, otherwise stern action will be taken," Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday once repeated the warning that she has dropped at various doctors' gatherings.
She was inaugurating the newly-constructed academic building of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in the capital.
When sought to know from a doctors' leader whether the warning had any impact, a flat "no" was his response.
"You can create immediate panic (among doctors), but it's not the solution," said former president of Bangladesh Medical Association Rashid-e-Mahbub, and added: "This is kind of rhetoric to cover up own failure (sic)."
He, however, declined to elaborate on 'failure'.
Despite prime minister's repeated warning, state minister for health Mojibur Rahman Fakir, in a surprise visit, on Jan 7 found 19 doctors absent from their duties at Bhaluka Upazila Health Complex and Gouripur Upazila Health Complex under his own constituency.
He instructed the health secretary to initiate action.
"Besides, being at the workplace is one thing and serving people is another. It's a very different profession (medical). You cannot serve, if you don't have commitment," he said.
"If they (government) really want to change the situation, they will have to overhaul the whole management," Mahbub said throwing a poser: "Do they (doctors) get any incentive for staying at a remote place? Is there a proper system in place that can make them stay there?"
"You can post as many specialists you want in an upazila hospital, but they won't stay there if they don't have proper work-related facilities," he went on.
Mahbub suggested local-level recruitment of doctors, not from far-off places. "If you recruit doctors from Sylhet division, they won't be able to come to Dhaka," he said.
During East Pakistan days, there used to be only one director in the health sector and the number of doctors was around 250, he pointed out.
"But now you see 250 doctors in an upazilla now, yet all being monitored by the central administration," he said.
The prime minister in her speech on Tuesday was categorical: "Doctors, who are posted in the rural areas, will have to go there with their family, and there is no way to avoid the arrangement."
She said her government has been working tirelessly to take healthcare services to the doorsteps of people.
"It is people who will decide who would stay in power. Our responsibility is towards them…to serve them," she said.
"All physicians must be present at their places of work to serve the people, otherwise stern action will be taken," Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday once repeated the warning that she has dropped at various doctors' gatherings.
She was inaugurating the newly-constructed academic building of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in the capital.
When sought to know from a doctors' leader whether the warning had any impact, a flat "no" was his response.
"You can create immediate panic (among doctors), but it's not the solution," said former president of Bangladesh Medical Association Rashid-e-Mahbub, and added: "This is kind of rhetoric to cover up own failure (sic)."
He, however, declined to elaborate on 'failure'.
Despite prime minister's repeated warning, state minister for health Mojibur Rahman Fakir, in a surprise visit, on Jan 7 found 19 doctors absent from their duties at Bhaluka Upazila Health Complex and Gouripur Upazila Health Complex under his own constituency.
He instructed the health secretary to initiate action.
"Besides, being at the workplace is one thing and serving people is another. It's a very different profession (medical). You cannot serve, if you don't have commitment," he said.
"If they (government) really want to change the situation, they will have to overhaul the whole management," Mahbub said throwing a poser: "Do they (doctors) get any incentive for staying at a remote place? Is there a proper system in place that can make them stay there?"
"You can post as many specialists you want in an upazila hospital, but they won't stay there if they don't have proper work-related facilities," he went on.
Mahbub suggested local-level recruitment of doctors, not from far-off places. "If you recruit doctors from Sylhet division, they won't be able to come to Dhaka," he said.
During East Pakistan days, there used to be only one director in the health sector and the number of doctors was around 250, he pointed out.
"But now you see 250 doctors in an upazilla now, yet all being monitored by the central administration," he said.
The prime minister in her speech on Tuesday was categorical: "Doctors, who are posted in the rural areas, will have to go there with their family, and there is no way to avoid the arrangement."
She said her government has been working tirelessly to take healthcare services to the doorsteps of people.
"It is people who will decide who would stay in power. Our responsibility is towards them…to serve them," she said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment