Urban healthcare programmes
In Dr. Ishtiaq's editorial posted in The Daily Star on November 11, 2008, a very timely call was made for effective public-private partnerships for primary healthcare for the millions of urban residents in Bangladesh.
Over the past decade, Concern Worldwide and political and administrative leaders and the residents of nine municipalities in Rajshahi Division have developed, tested and replicated in multiple locations a very promising model for better health that actually puts government policy into practice. What is of particular importance of this model is the impact that it is having on the poorest residents.
The government of Bangladesh has overall constitutional responsibility for health, nutrition and population services and through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOH&FW) and some other ministries it is an important provider of health services. The mandate for providing primary healthcare services in urban areas is vested in the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperatives (MOLGRD&C). The Municipal Administration Ordinance of 1960, the Pourashava Ordinance of 1977 and the City Corporation Ordinance of 1983 clearly assigned the provision of preventive health and limited curative care as a responsibility of the city corporations and municipalities. In 1995 the MOLGRD&C issued a circular indicating three committees would be formed at different levels ensuring effective health service delivery which are: Inter-ministerial committee; Central committee at City Corporation/Municipal level; and the Ward Health Committee at community level.
The number of municipalities is growing by the month in Bangladesh. There is an urgent need to focus efforts on enabling public-private partnerships which are meaningful and lasting.
We would welcome working with ADB and MOLGRDC to design a new phase of Urban Public Health Sector Development Programme through sharing our experience, evidence in urban health programme with practical demonstration of sustainable community and municipality involvement in health awareness and referral systems.
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