Modern pathological labs to be set up in every hospital this year: Health Minister

He said this today (Monday, July 13) morning as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of "Sustaining Play, Learning and in Humanitarian Contexts (SPLASH)" organized by BRAC and the Lego Foundation at the Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.

Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain said, "We are going to set up modern pathological laboratories in every hospital within this year. The necessary equipment for setting up the labs will be imported this month itself. Not only that, to provide dialysis services to the people of the country, arrangements are being made to set up 50-bed dialysis centers in medical college hospitals located in various districts, 10-bed dialysis centers in district hospitals, and 10-bed dialysis centers at the upazila level hospitals."

He said the government has taken special steps to ensure healthcare at the field level. From now on, midwives and caregivers will go door-to-door with special screening machines to check people's health.

Informing that special awareness campaigns are being undertaken to educate mothers as part of family planning, Health Minister Sakhawat Hossain said, "Over the last 10 to 15 years, the country's population growth rate has increased, which is alarming. To bring this rate down to a tolerable level, the government will launch a strong birth control campaign nationwide. The easy availability of birth control supplies that once existed at the village level will be restored."

Highlighting the comparative picture of the continuous development of the country's health sector, he said, "To ensure medical services for the common people of Bangladesh, the then President Shaheed Ziaur Rahman established 31-bed hospitals in every upazila. Later, the leader of the nation, Begum Khaleda Zia, as the guardian of the country's people, transformed those 31-bed hospitals into 50-bed ones. In continuation of this, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, every upazila hospital is being modernized to 101 beds. Various services including breastfeeding corners, prayer corners, modern pathology departments, and kidney dialysis centers will be ensured in the hospitals."

Director General (Secretary) of the NGO Affairs Bureau Dr. Mohammad Zakaria, BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh, Vice President and Head of International Programs of the Lego Foundation Tarek Alami, among others, were present at the event.