RAJSHAHI, April 9, 2019 (BSS)-Public representatives and development
activists here unanimously viewed that collective efforts of all government
and non-government entities concerned can be the crucial means of ensuring
primary reproductive healthcare services to the grassroots population and the
poor and marginal ones in particular.
They mentioned that the present government under the dynamic leadership of
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working relentlessly to ensure health
and family welfare services to all.
So, all the field level public and private organizations working in this
field should supplement the government endeavor through discharging their
duties with utmost sincerity and honesty.
They came up with the observation while addressing an open forum
discussion session related to services at Union Health and Family Welfare
Centre (UH&FWC) of Bagmara, Tanore and Charghat Upazilas in the district in
Simanta Conference Hall in Rajshahi city today. DASCOH Foundation organized
the meeting under its ‘Public Health Improvement Initiative Rajshahi (PHIIR)
Project’ in association with Swiss Red Cross (SRC).
Divisional Director of Department of Family Planning (DFP) Shafiqul Islam
and SRC Health Manager Dr Farhana Akter addressed the meeting as chief and
special guests respectively with DFP Deputy Director Dr Nasim Akhter in the
chair.
Chief Executive Officer of DASCOH Foundation Akramul Haque welcomed the
participants while its Project Manager Dr Allen Swagot Baroy gave an overview of
the existing services in 11 UH&FWCs along with service delivery related
problems and challenges.
The meeting was told that the PHIIR project is being implemented in 73
Community clinics, 22 UH&FWCs and five Upazila Health Complexes in Rajshahi
and Naogaon districts with the main thrust of improving health status at
primary healthcare and mother, neonatal and child health.
Shafiqul Islam called for infusing more dynamism into the essential service
delivery activities of community clinics for ensuring healthcare services to
the marginalized communities for their betterment.
He stressed the need for boosting coordination between the works of
government and non-government organizations concerned so that the grassroots
people can derive total benefits of the community clinics and other upazila
and village level health and family planning institutions.
Islam told the meeting that the present government has launched midwife
service for ensuring safe motherhood and has been putting in its level best
efforts so that every mother can receive delivery services with the help of a
skilled birth attendant.
Some 56 persons including officials and staffs from DFP, upazila and union
parishad chairmen, members of civil society, DASCOH people and other
stakeholders attended the meeting.
Taking part in open discussion, many of them put forward a set of
recommendations on how to make the community level healthcare centers
effective.