Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday instructed the authorities concerned to begin work immediately on introducing an ‘e-Health card’ to ensure accessible medical services for people across the country.
The directive was issued at a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office at the Secretariat with the health minister, state minister, advisers and health experts, said the PM’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon.
According to Rumon, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to delivering healthcare at the doorstep and urged the Health Ministry to act proactively in implementing the digital health initiative.
He directed the minister to proceed without delay in launching the e-Health card programme.
The meeting also reviewed plans to convert abandoned government buildings into health and family welfare centres. It was noted that around 170 unused structures under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) alone could be renovated and repurposed as clinics. The Prime Minister instructed that such facilities be swiftly refurbished to strengthen grassroots healthcare delivery.
Population growth was another key issue discussed. Citing statistics showing that approximately 3.4 million babies are born annually, concern was expressed over the rising number of newborns. The ministry was asked to intensify efforts to manage population growth effectively.
The recruitment of 1 lakh health workers, as pledged in the BNP’s election manifesto, was also reviewed. Of the proposed workforce, 80 per cent will be women and 20 per cent men. The Prime Minister further stressed the need to fill vacant posts and ensure doctors remain stationed in remote health centres.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister chaired a meeting to accelerate a five-year plan to plant 25 crore trees nationwide, directing authorities to expand plantation drives on khas land, riverbanks, roadsides and institutional premises.
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