Health rights activists at a discussion on Sunday demanded a high-powered taskforce and an independent commission to implement the proposals of the Health Sector Reform Commission.
The Power and Participation Research Centre in cooperation with the United Nations Children鈥檚 Fund and the Universal Health Coverage Forum organised the discussion at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka city.
Lauding the interim government for its forming the Health Reform Commission which they said a crucial first step by the government, they observed that it was now time to take the second step鈥攊mplement the commission鈥檚 proposals.
They said that their proposed taskforce would navigate the administration and build political dimensions, while the independent commission would deal with technical and advisory matters.
PPRC executive chairman Hossain Zillur Rahman said that many good recommendations by different bodies formed earlier failed to see the light of the day, but they wished this time the government would implement the proposals on priority basis.
He said that implementation of the proposals was challenging, but considering their importance the state should take it as an investment.
Speakers also said that the country鈥檚 health sector remained neglected for decades and termed the reform initiative as a significant step for the betterment of public health.
The reform commission had already shown the way, they said, adding now actions were needed, which a political government might not take as they would likely be more interested in protecting the interests of different vested quarters.
Pothikrit Foundation chairman and also health reform commission member Professor Liaquat Ali viewed that the taskforce should be led by the chief adviser鈥檚 office and not by the ministry.
He also said that the commission should be independent.
He also said that the government should start implementing the proposals by phase.
Bangladesh Medical University clinical oncology department chairman and also health sector reform commission member Syed Akram Hussain expressed his frustration over the National Consensus Commission as it did not include health in its charter.
Dhaka University鈥檚 Institute of Health Economics professor Syed Abdul Hamid stressed that the prices of medicines should be given priority among the health sector matters and demanded an independent committee to fix drug prices based on a win-win position through robust market analysis.
While saying that the submission of the reform commission report was a significant milestone, speakers were critical that no meaningful reform initiatives were materialised in the three months since.
PPRC chairman Hossain Zillur Rahman also iterated the importance of explicitly including health sector reform in the July Charter, the evolving framework for national transformation.
Among other physicians and public health experts, Professor MA Faiz, Mushtaq Hossain, Aminul Hasan, Fida Mehran, Zakir Hussain, Sayed Rubayet and Abul Kalam Azad spoke at the programme.
