Budget
Healthcare in remote areas not addressed
Deeming healthcare insignificant in remote areas, the issue of service providers at public hospitals in hill tracts and other such areas remained unaddressed in the proposed budget, observed doctors' associations leaders.
Despite an allocation increase of around Tk 467 crore from last fiscal year, almost no new initiative was taken in the health sector, they said.
“Doctors are not willing to be posted at hospitals in hill tracts and remote char areas, so we have been demanding incentives for long for such postings,” said Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Secretary General Prof Sharfuddin Ahmed.
The issue of doctors' security in remote areas should have also been attended in the budget, he added.
Speakers said though budget allocation keeps increasing in health sector, so does the cost of imaging, lab tests and treatment.
Dr AZM Zahid, former secretary general of Doctors' Association of Bangladesh (DAB), said medicine prices are almost double and cost of medical tests is nearly beyond the means of low income group.
Taxpayers questioned service quality in public hospitals.
Mohammad Habib, a private firm employee in Dhaka said, “I borrowed around Tk 70,000 to admit my pregnant wife to a private clinic as I had no confidence in public hospitals.”
Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday, in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2012-2013, allocated Tk 9,355 crore to health sector giving priority to 10 projects including Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health, Community Health Care Initiative, Family Planning Field Service Delivery, and National Nutrition Service.
In the last fiscal year allocation for health sector was over Tk 8,888 crore while in 2010-2011 it was Tk 8,148 crore. Both budgets gave priority to almost the same projects.
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