STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will, for the first time, meet upazila health and family planning officers from across Bangladesh to discuss ways to improve overall healthcare services at the field level, officials said.

The meeting is scheduled for 11:00am on Saturday at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.

Officials at the health ministry said the prime minister is expected to issue directives to improve services. This would be the first time a PM holds such a meeting with UHFPOs, they added.

In its election manifesto, BNP outlined 22 health-related commitments, including raising health expenditure to five percent of GDP, introducing universal e-health cards, ensuring free and quality primary healthcare, and recruiting 100,000 health workers.

In February, the government formed a 13-member cell, led by Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain, to implement the manifesto.

UHFPOs lead health services at the upazila and sub-district levels and are expected to play a key role in implementing the commitments.

“The prime minister will listen to grassroots-level officials and discuss the challenges and prospects of field-level health services,” Health Secretary Quamruzzaman Chowdhury told The Daily Star.

“We also expect that he will give directives to improve overall services,” he said.

He added that the initiative reflects a shift from a top-down approach, with the government seeking input from frontline officials to improve service.

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