The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Speakers at a roundtable in the capital yesterday said only a strong political will can develop the country's health service.

Delivery of proper health service to the people calls for the adoption of effective health policy and enhancing counselling programmes and extensive research, they noted.

Pharmacy Graduates' Association, Bangladesh and Doctors for Health and Environment jointly organised the roundtable on "the Responsibilities of Government, Professionals and Service-takers to develop the health service" at the National Press Club in the city.

Prof AK Azad Chowdhury, former Vice Chancellor, Dhaka University, Prof AK Azad Khan, Chief of Bangladesh Diabetics Samity, Prof Kazi Kamaruzzaman, Chairman, Dhaka Community Hospitals and Dr M Iqbal Arsenal, among others, addressed the roundtable which was presided over by Prof Rashid-E-Mahbub, former president, Bangladesh Medical Association.

Prof ABM Faruk, Pharmacy Department, University of Dhaka and Kazi Faruk, General Secretary, Consumers' Association of Bangladesh presented two keynote papers separately.

Speakers pointed out that psychological treatment, awareness on health rights, health friendly environment and involvement of doctors as well as pharmacists in the counselling programmes could play a pivotal role in the health delivery service.

They called for adoption of an effective health policy like the successful Drug policy of 1982, which resulted in reducing import of drugs to 3 per cent from 70 per cent.

They suggested involvement of the elected representatives of the local bodies in the management of the health service.

Prof Ak Azad Chowdhury said the primary health care needed to be prioritised by providing adequate allocation in the national budget.

Criticising the role of NGOs in the health service, he said these non-government organisations only contribute one per cent of the total expenditure in the health sector, while the government and households contribute 37 per cent and 62 per cent respectively.

More health research should be conducted in the perspective of our own culture and society by providing a sufficient allocation, he added.

Prof AK Azad Khan said the nursing system in the government hospitals still leaves much to be desired. Patients do not get proper psychological treatment from the doctors and others concerned. Most of the doctors in our country have no enough time to counsel the patients, because of imbalance ratio in the number of patients, doctors and hospitals, he added.