& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Hospital fee hike to deprive poor of services

Say rights activists

Staff Correspondent
Health rights activists yesterday opposed the government's recent decision to increase 'user fee' in public health facilities, saying that such a move would deprive poor women, children and elderly people of health services.
The fee hike would also help increase corruption in public health facilities, as it is not explained how the user fee would be utilised, they said at a view exchange meeting at the National Press Club.
It would also create discrimination in health services, the activists said.
Health Rights Movement National Committee and Health Reporters' Forum Bangladesh organised the meeting tided Imposing user fee at public hospitals and health rights of people' in association with ActionAid Bangladesh.
In a gazette notification recently, the government increased the user fee' in all health facilities, including 50-bed upazila and districthospitals.
Speaking on the occasion, Healdi Minister Ruhal Haque said that the ultra-poor would be exempt from the 'user fee'. But he did not explain how the ultra-poor would be identified and get access to healthcare free of cost.
He also said the government has been trying to
digitise the health service system and that people would receive its benefit soon.
The rights activists said healthcare is the constitutional right of people. So, why user fee would be imposed on them?
Eminent economist ProfMuzaffer Ahmad said the government is yet to make any formal commitment that the poor will have access to primary healthcare free of cost.
"It has been proved that investment in primary healthcare is three times more beneficial than the investment at tertiary level. But our investment in primary healthcare is very little," he said.
Prof Rashid E Mahbub, president of Health Rights Movement National Committee, said the government should formulate a framework on how to bring the grassroots people under the safetynet.
Shashanka Baran Roy of PSTC presented the keynote paper.
Dr Mahmudur Rahman of Dhaka Community’ Hospital, Bangladesh Medical Association General Secretary Dr Mohammad Sharfuddin, Swadhinata Chikitshak Parishad General Secretary Iqbal Arslan, Moniruzzaman Uzza) of Health Reporters' Forum Bangladesh, Nitai Kanti Das of PSTC, Dr Lenin of Health and Hope Hospital, Jibon Boral of Proshika, Sardar Arifuddin of ActionAid also spoke.