Community Clinics

Guidelines finalised to ensure health service

30 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

The government finalised the National Community Group Management Guideline yesterday to ensure health service and accountability at community clinics. The Awami League-led ruling coalition reintroduced around 10,000 community clinics since September last year, which remained closed during the past BNP-led four-party government. The guideline was finalised following a workshop at the Sasakawa auditorium of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases and Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B) in the city. Representatives from the health service and family planning directorates, development partners and community group members were present at the workshop organised by the Revitalisation of Community Healthcare Initiatives in Bangladesh (Community Clinic Project). To make the community clinics effective and accountable, the community groups are a must, said the speakers adding that each group will consist of nine to 13 members with the respective union parishad chairman as the head of the group. Project Director Makhduma Nargis of the Community Clinic Project said the challenges of running the community clinics properly are manpower shortage, lack of coordination among the health care providers at the community clinics and bureaucratic tangles. Speaking at the workshop as the chief guest, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mozibur Rahman Fakir said it is not possible to provide health service to 20,000 people through a union health complex. So, reaching the health service to the doorsteps of the grassroots people, the government initiated the community clinic service. President of Bangladesh Medical Association Prof Chowdhury Mahmud Hasan and World Health Organisation representative Dr Frank Paulin, among others, spoke at the workshop.