Prime Minister Tarique Rahman informed Parliament that the government has begun the process of recruiting 100,000 health workers to address manpower shortages in healthcare facilities across the country.
Replying to a starred question from opposition lawmaker Masum Mustafa in the Jatiya Sangsad, the Prime Minister said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has adopted short, medium and long-term action plans to implement the recruitment initiative.
“In line with the election manifesto, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has adopted a long, medium and short-term action plan to recruit 100,000 health workers, for which activities are underway in various stages,” he said.
The Prime Minister said healthcare services are currently being provided through maternal and child health units under the Directorate General of Family Planning at all upazila hospitals, alongside 3,290 Union Health and Family Welfare Centres across the country.
He noted that there are 17,870 approved posts at upazila and union-level health service centres, of which 11,501 are filled while 6,359 remain vacant.
According to Tarique Rahman, recruitment activities are already underway to fill the vacant positions and ensure uninterrupted healthcare services at the grassroots level.
Replying to another question from ruling party lawmaker Md Monjurul Islam, the Prime Minister said the government remains committed to ensuring universal health coverage under its “Health for All” policy.
Highlighting several healthcare development initiatives, he said steps have been taken to upgrade the Mental Hospital in Pabna into an international-standard mental health institute with full government funding.
He also said a project to establish a 1,000-bed hospital in Nilphamari Sadar with Chinese grant assistance has already been approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
In addition, work is underway to establish a 150-bed Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit at Chattogram Medical College Hospital.
The Prime Minister further said proposals have been made to establish a 500 to 700-bed specialised hospital in the Dhaka North City Corporation area and a rehabilitation centre at Krishnanagar in Dhamrai with Chinese assistance.
He said these initiatives are part of the government’s broader efforts to strengthen healthcare services and improve access to quality medical treatment across the country.
