A national consultative meeting on “Community Paramedics: A Skilled Healthcare Workforce in Rural Bangladesh” was organised by Achieving Sustainability Towards Healthcare Access (ASTHA), a project of Swisscontact Bangladesh, in Dhaka recently.

The discussion meeting highlighted that public, private, and NGO combined efforts should be established to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In Bangladesh, a shortage of skilled healthcare workers is a major public health issue. Rural areas are particularly concerning, as residents rely heavily on unqualified providers.

Mr Ali Noor, Secretary for Medical Education and Family Welfare Division to the Ministry of Health &Family Welfare, emphasised, “The role of community paramedics in rural health service is essential and should be spread across the country to ensure the availability of essential primary healthcare services.” To develop a rural healthcare system, the government and non-government institutions must help. He also emphasised monitoring their service scope and quality.

Mujibul Hasan, Country Director of Swisscontact Bangladesh, has stressed the importance of public-private partnership in the country’s overall growth. Additionally, he reinforced Swisscontact’s key role in facilitating and strengthening that public-private partnership and collaboration in attributing Bangladesh’s growth towards becoming a middle-income country.