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500 community clinics have started functioning

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December 20, 2000 

Dhaka--(UNB) - Some 500 community clinics have started functioning to provide primary health services to the rural people, particularly to the poor, free of cost.

Disclosing this yesterday (Tuesday), Health Minister Sheikh Fazlul Karmi Selim said the government hopes to start operation of all the planned 18,000 community clinics, including 4500 rural dispensaries, by 2002, a year ahead of the targeted 2003.

Addressing a press briefing at the ministry in the afternoon as he received the operational guidelines for the community clinics, the health minister said already 1,194 of the completely constructed 3,066 clinics have been handed over to the concerned union parishad chairmen.

Director of Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) Mohammad Akhteruzzaman handed over the Community Clinics’ guidelines to the Health Minister.

Replying to a question, Selim said some 23 essential drugs would be available in each clinic to deal with primary health care like fever, abdomen pain, diarrhea, and cold and cough along with family planning activities.

Community clinic will be conducted and maintained by the respective community with a minimum 9 and maximum 11-member group. Representatives from the villagers, including three women, and from poor and land less people will form the group with union parishad chairman heading the committee.

One Health Assistant and one Family Welfare Assistant will provide health service in each clinic to remain open from 9 am to 4 pm on all working days. A doctor will supervise it. Each clinic will cover more or less 6,000 population.

The health minister said the community clinic has been set up to reach primary health care to the doorsteps of the people, particularly the poor at free of cost.

It is a hard task for a poor country, but made possible as the community was involved in the system, he said.

Asked about the possibility of success of community clinic programme, Selim said the pilot projects at Abhoyngar in Jessore and Mirersarai in Chittagong districts showed spontaneous positive response.

“Where community is involved, it must succeeded,” he said mentioning the experiences of his surprise visits to some community clinics.

He told newsmen: “I found all those community clinics going well. Rather, sometimes I didn’t find physician at some thana health complexes.”

In this context, the health minister said it was found that more people were interested in donating land for setting up such clinics. And sometimes, he said, they had fallen in embarrassing situation while selecting the donor for land.

Health Secretary Sayed Alamgir Farrouk Chowdhury, DG Health Services Dr Mashiur Rahman, DG Family Planning Mohammad Moniruzzaman and Director Drug Administration Prof Zahurul Huq were present at the briefing.