Speakers at a press conference yesterday demanded the health and family welfare ministry to work together with the ministries of agriculture, fisheries and environment to finalise a national health policy.

Swasthya Andolon, a platform of doctors, environmentalists, agriculturists and social activists, organised the press conference at National Press Club in the city yesterday,

Farida Akhter, joint convener of Swasthya Andolon, said the health always related with nutritional food and sound environment and they are involved with these ministries, but the health ministry has always ignored their responsibilities and role to formulate the health policy.

She termed the proposed draft health policy a “treatment policy'’, not a health policy for mass people especially the poor people.

They also said the health policy is a policy to privatise the whole health sector.

Dr Zakir Hossain, a public health expert and member ofthe platform, criticised the proposed health saying that it did not include the eye diseases though over 7,50,000 people of above 30 years are blind.

Swasthya Andolon members Shima Das Shimu, Rokeya Begum, Nazmul Karim, Asheq mahmud and Shamsuzzoha were present at the press conference.

They recommended a 25-point proposal to include in the proposed health policy. The recommendations includes discussions and evaluation by lawmakers in the parliament before finalising the health policy, specification of the non-communicable diseases, victim of mal-treatment for justice, provision for every doctors to work in remote areas and enhancement of incentives and facilities for the nurses and paramedics.

They said the policy should also include the issues of health hazards due to environmental pollution, mental health problem, contaminated water and sanitation.

Leaders of the network also said the policy identified the physically impaired people as “Bikalanga” which should be withdrawn to show respect to them.

Farida demanded of the government to address the women and children’s health problems with priority basis since they are the most vulnerable to any disease.