Cabinet thanks PM for UN recognition to her community clinic model

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: The Cabinet today thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for UN recognition to her innovative Community Clinic model to reach healthcare services to the doorstep of common people through establishing Community Clinic across the country.

The Cabinet in its weekly meeting today adopted a resolution in this regard as minister for information and broadcasting Dr Hasan Mahmud placed the vote of thanks before the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at PMO.

In reply to the vote of thanks the Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over the success of the community clinics in Bangladesh saying the project can be reciprocated in other countries which are struggling to reach health services to people at grassroots.

“”The most important thing is that people are coming to the clinics for treatment and they are getting services from their doorsteps,” she said.

“We are ready to share our experience with any country to be interested to have such health services,” she added.

“The UN adopted a health related resolution Tuesday on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s innovative initiative ‘Community Clinic’, where recognition was given to the concept of her community clinic model.

The resolution titled “Community-based primary health care: A participatory and inclusive approach to achieving universal health services” was unanimously adopted at the United Nations (UN).

Speaking on the occasion the prime minister said, she was overwhelmed as she came to know about the resolution from Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative (PR) in the UN.
“In fact, I didn’t know when the proposal was placed to the United Nations. I was informed by the PR when the resolution was unanimously passed in the global forum,” the premier told her cabinet colleagues.

The premier asked the foreign minister and the PR to formally express gratitude to the countries which co-sponsored the proposal as well as other states extended their support to the resolution.

Sheikh Hasina said in addition to providing healthcare services the community clinics have generated huge employment opportunities for local people.

She noted that her government after coming to power in 1996 had initiated the community clinic project with a target to build 11,000 centers across the country and commissioning of 4000 centers in the first phase.

According to a survey after a year of commencement of the community clinics, the success rate of the clinics was more than 70 percent. But, taking office in 2001, BNP shut down the clinics sensing that the only Awami league would be benefitted out the success of the clinics, she lamented.

After coming to power for the second time in 2008, Sheikh Hasina said they reinforced the project prevailing the opportunities of getting healthcare services by common people, she said. (BSS)