STAFF CORRESPONDENT

The health ministry has identified 10 major “diseases” in the healthcare system and has taken or planned measures to address them, aiming to improve the country’s overall healthcare.

If healthcare reform is not at the centre of planning, all other reforms will become meaningless, the ministry said yesterday.

“We promise that change is coming and reforms have already begun,” said Prof Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser for the health ministry.

Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum said, “We are undertaking various initiatives to bring positive changes to the country’s health sector. We hope the benefits of these efforts will become visible in the coming days.”

They were speaking at a press conference held at the Shaheed Abu Sayed International Convention Centre in the capital to highlight the ministry’s achievements over the past year and outline future reform plans.

Prof Sayedur said they have identified 10 major problems in the health system, describing them as “diseases”.

These are the absence of merit, knowledge, and competence in the system; excessive centralisation; overreliance on specialised treatment and neglected primary healthcare; lack of transparency and a culture of impunity; unmotivated and demoralised healthcare providers; absence of critical thinking and proper mindset; erosion of ethics and conflicts of interest; overdependence on external actors; weak leadership and poor management; and

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