The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Sangsad Bhaban

The government has taken steps to introduce e-health or telemedicine as part of programmes to build Digital Bangladesh, Health Minister AFM Ruhul Huq informed Parliament yesterday.

Replying to M Harunur Rashid (Chandpur-4), the minister said the government as per its election manifesto is implementing Digital Bangladesh by 2021 and the effort to introduce telemedicine is part of that.

The Health and Family Planning Ministry said the government also considers implementing digital health as the thrust sector.

In this connection, he said, the government has already provided computers, internet connections and webcams to all civil surgeons in the 64 districts.

"Many of them have already started providing telemedicine services from their district hospitals through videoconferencing," he said.

By this fiscal year, he said, the government would distribute webcams to all upazila, district and big public hospitals by which they would be able to provide health services to remote areas through videoconferencing.

The minister added that the government is trying to introduce telemedicine in the current fiscal year in eight more hospitals.

From the next fiscal year, he said, the government would provide net-pc or mini-laptop with webcams to all community hospitals in phases. Besides, one cell-phone each will be distributed to all upazila and district hospitals and local people will be able to avail of health services by making calls with these cell-phones in their respective areas.

Replying to independent lawmaker Fazlul Azim (Noakhali-6) who placed the question in absence of BNP lawmaker Nazim Uddin Ahmed (Laxmipur-1), the minister said the government has planned to set up six more hospitals in the country.

The planned hospitals are: a 500-bed general hospital at Khilgaon in Dhaka, another 500-bed general hospital at Kurmitola in Dhaka, a 500-bed hospital at Mirpur in Dhaka a 250-bed TB Hospital at Shaymoli in Dhaka, a 300-bed institute of neuroscience in Dhaka and a 100-bed tropical medical institute in Chittagong.

Answering to Moslem Uddin Ahmed, the minister said there are about 5000 community clinics awaiting operation.

Replying to Shahab Uddin, he said the government has already distributed 105 ambulances and there are more in the pipeline for distribution.

Responding to SKM Rahmatullah (Dhaka-10), the minister said the number of registered arsenic-affected people in the country is 38,320 as of June 30, 2009.

Replying to Shah Jikrul Ahmed (Brahmanbaria-5), the Health Minister said there are some 2.9 million pieces of anti-swine flu capsule, Oseltamivi, in stock.

Of the total, 1 million pieces have been stored centrally and others distributed in hospital at districts and upazila levels. "This capsule is being produced in the country and recently the government asked the Essential Drug Company to supply 0.5 million capsules," he said.