Public health experts, mostly members of the health reform commission, in an open letter to the chief adviser on Saturday demanded immediate actions to implement reform proposals and to incorporate those into the ‘July Charter’.
In the letter, they stated that the recommendations made by the Health Reform Commission provided a strategic and timely blueprint for a structural change in health governance.
They said that these recommendations offered more than just improvements in service coverage or quality — they lay out a broader framework for institutional reform and system-level transformation.
The signatories stressed the importance of prompt action, warning that without timely and strategic implementation, critical policy recommendations risk being left in official documents with little real-world impact.
They called for a nationally prioritised and time-bound road map, and proposed that incorporating the core health reforms into the July Charter 2025 would signal a serious and future-focused commitment to structural transformation.
While acknowledging the limitations of an interim government’s mandate, the letter said several actions remained within the government’s administrative scope.
The letter urged to consider first step action that is an immediate administrative and legal steps to establish a Permanent Health Commission.
This commission should be an independent, publicly accountable, and high-powered institution that will provide strategic direction and leadership in formulating and implementing a long-term road map for sustainable health sector reform.
The letter suggested initiating a quality-assured public health infrastructure, saying that steps should be taken to establish a functional and universally free primary health care service with mandatory referral mechanisms in both rural and urban areas.
The public health experts urged to form a time bound, task-oriented steering committee comprising members of the advisory council to oversee the implementation of the above initiatives.
This committee should operate under the direct supervision of the Office of the Chief Adviser, they said.
Among others, Health Sector Reform Commission members Syed Akram Hussain, professor Abu Muhammad Zakir Hussain, professor Liaquat Ali, professor Naila Zaman Khan, Azharul Islam Khan and Dhaka University Institute of Health Economics professor Syed Abdul Hamid signed the open letter.
