Health sector reform: 33 proposals set for implementation
The Health Ministry has selected 33 recommendations from the Health Sector Reform Commission as it seeks to begin implementing the much-needed reform process in the country's health system.
Of the 33 recommendations, the Health Services Division will implement 23, while the Medical Education and Family Welfare Division will carry out the remaining ones, both in association with their respective agencies.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The ministry will require assistance from the public administration, home and finance ministries in implementing several of the recommendations.
The Health Services Division has already categorised the 23 recommendations into short- (6 months), mid- (1-2 years) and long-term (above 2 years) actions.
After circulating the recommendations to all its agencies, the division on August 13 directed them to provide weekly updates on implementation, as it has to submit progress reports to the Cabinet Division and the Chief Adviser's Office, officials said.
The 12-member commission, led by National Professor AK Azad Khan, submitted its report on May 5, recommending a sweeping overhaul of health service management to make it more pro-people.
The report came at a time when the health sector faces major challenges, including inadequate funding, a shortage of health workers, high out-of-pocket expenses, unequal access to services, and weak governance. These issues, health experts say, deprive many of quality treatment and compel many others to seek medical care abroad.
A senior official of the DGHS said most of the recommendations involve the enactment or amendment of laws and the issuance of necessary directives from the ministry.
"In some cases, inter-ministerial decisions will be required to implement certain recommendations," the official said. "However, implementation of some recommendations can begin immediately with just a few directives from the ministry."
Health Services Division Secretary Saidur Rahman said that the implementation of some recommendations can begin immediately, while others require consultations with stakeholders.
"There are some sensitive issues as well, which cannot be implemented without stakeholder consultation," he told The Daily Star last night. Replying to a question, he said the impact of the reform proposals will be visible to some extent within the next three months.
SELECTED RECOMMENDATIONS
The recommendations, categorised as short-term, are: necessary reform of existing health sector laws; formation of a search committee to give recommendations for the recruitment of top officials of the proposed health services; establishing a digital platform to address service seekers' complaints; setting up a service centre for the quick completion of licensing and administrative processes linked to private hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centres; introducing E-GP for all procurements in the health sector; appointment of clinical pharmacists at hospitals and primary healthcare centres; establishing a national essential diagnostic list and fixing their costs; creating a national ambulance service network; introducing an e-prescription system; implementing prescription audits; strengthening the internal audit unit at directorates; and prohibiting the prescribing of unnecessary tests and drugs, as well as writing prescriptions on pharmaceutical company pads.
The mid-term recommendations are: formation of the Bangladesh Health Commission for devising health-related policies and giving the government strategic advice; ensuring essential drugs at free or subsidised prices; forming an updated pay structure for interns, doctors, post-graduation students, and private health service providers; enacting a health information protection act; and increasing the allocation for health-related research.
The long-term recommendations are: establishing a secretariat for Bangladesh Health Services; keeping pharmacies at government hospitals and primary healthcare centres open 24 hours; introducing a unique health ID for all and preserving all health and treatment-related information there; activating a referral system and making it mandatory; and establishing an administration under a director general for food, drugs, and IVD medical devices.
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