State Minister for Health Dr. M A Muhit today addressed a national seminar on health and nutrition at the Samson H Chowdhury Centre of Dhaka Club as the chief guest. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, April 19, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Health Dr. M A Muhit today said the country's healthcare system has become severely fragile due to flawed policies and corruption by previous governments, describing it as "beyond repair" in its current form.

He made the remarks while addressing a national seminar on health and nutrition at the Samson H Chowdhury Centre of Dhaka Club here as the chief guest.

The state minister said minor or piecemeal reforms would not be enough to restore the system, which has deteriorated beyond conventional fixes. 

The government, however, has taken the situation as a challenge and begun work to build a "Healthy Bangladesh," he added.

Referring to recent measles outbreaks, he said timely vaccination and strong preventive care at the grassroots level could have prevented severe complications among children.

Highlighting the sector's condition, Dr. Muhit said the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases reflects long-standing failures in primary healthcare.

He warned that policy failures could lead to the deaths of hundreds of children and said the effects of past decisions are still being felt. 

Lack of maintenance at the field level also contributed to the collapse of hospital services, he noted.

He said the government is prioritizing primary healthcare, especially disease prevention and public awareness, to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases.