Published: 12:19 AM, 19 April 2026
People's confidence on government restored in two months: PM
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman yesterday (18 April 2026) criticized the previous two governments for what he described as an "unforgivable crime" in failing to ensure adequate measles vaccination coverage.
Terming it a "life-threatening failure" of the previous two governments, he said, "We all have to be vigilant so that such incidents never happen again in the future."
The Prime Minister made the remarks while addressing the 'Upazila Health and Family Planning Officers' Conference-2026' at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital on Saturday morning, reports BSS.
"Due to the current government's emergency initiative to vaccinate against measles across the country, by the grace of Almighty Allah, it has been possible to prevent further deterioration of the situation," the prime minister said.
"At present, specialist doctors and advanced labs are mostly Dhaka-centric. Coming out of this reality, the government is working to ensure advanced medical services through district and upazila-based hospitals," he said.
"Eliminating the disparity between urban and rural healthcare and decentralizing services is one of the top priorities of the current government. Although this cannot be implemented in a month or a year, the government is progressing step by step towards achieving this goal," said the prime minister.
The Health Services Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare organized the conference to make the activities of Upazila Health and Family Planning Officers time-befitting to reach health services to the people at the field level. Addressing the doctors and officials present at the conference, Tarique Rahman said the importance of the medical profession is greater than any other profession.
"Physicians are the closest friends of people suffering from illness and true companions in times of crisis. In many cases, a doctor's advice and sincere behavior play a more effective role than medicine," he said.
Therefore, alongside professional excellence, it is extremely important for doctors to grow as humane individuals, the premier added.
Noting that the current government wants to build a 'Healthy Bangladesh', he said "Before the national election, we presented the outline of the health policy to the people".
This government's policy in healthcare management is 'Prevention is better than cure', Tarique Rahman said, adding, "If we can take preventive measures at the early stage of a disease, it is possible to control its spread. The role of Upazila Health and Family Planning Officers is undeniable in implementing this policy".
According to various statistics and health experts, 71 percent of total deaths in the country occur due to non-communicable diseases, he said, adding, alongside creating proper awareness to prevent communicable diseases, work has already started to implement the 'joint declaration' formulated for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.
In recent years, due to environmental disasters and the impact of climate change, along with communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases such as respiratory problems, stroke, and heart disease are creating new challenges for the health system, the premier said.
"For these reasons, regular screening of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure at the upazila level is necessary. It is essential to create awareness among people about changing lifestyles," he added.
Stating that the BNP government believes that the Upazila Health and Family Planning Officers (UHFPOs) are the main driving force of Bangladesh's healthcare system, the prime minister said UHFPOs are frontline fighters in delivering quality healthcare services to the doorsteps of the people.
Noting that health care management and healthcare administrative management are closely interconnected, the BNP chairman said, an Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer has to properly perform both healthcare management and healthcare administrative management at their respective workplaces.
Without coordination and parallel development between these two aspects, he said, it will not be possible to gain desired outcomes in healthcare services.
Tarique Rahman mentioned that the BNP government has taken detailed plans for the country's health sector, saying the current government has planned to gradually allocate five percent of GDP to the health sector.
Quoting the famous American nutritionist late Jack LaLanne - "Today's healthcare is tomorrow's investment" - he said, "That is why there is a plan to establish one primary healthcare unit in each upazila and gradually in each union, following the model of the National Health Service (NHS) General Practitioner (GP) of the United Kingdom".
The six doctors are Dr Shovan Kumar Bashakh, Dr Manjur Al Morshed Chowdhury, Dr Mojibur Rahman, Dr Sajid Hasan Siddiqui, Dr Suman Kanti Saha and Dr Tasnim Zubair.
>>Agency
