Doctors Can Drive Service Standards by 25%, Says Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus
Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus believes that doctors, through their own initiative, can enhance healthcare service standards by as much as 25%. He urged physicians to avoid unnecessary disputes and focus on their responsibilities.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the first-ever Civil Surgeon Conference held at the Chief Adviser’s Office in Tejgaon on Monday (May 12), he remarked, “Healthcare doesn’t require rigid structures. If someone collapses on the street, I cannot just say, ‘Let’s take them to the hospital.’ I am a doctor—I must treat them immediately. There is no escape from this. If I have everything I need in hand, no doctor can refuse to provide care.”
He added, “We bear enormous responsibilities. We are no longer cave dwellers. We cannot justify inaction with explanations. The Health Commission has highlighted many aspects of interim reform. We respect that. But we must act in the fleeting moment. Today’s work must be done today. With what we have, we must provide the best possible care. The time for corruption is over. Old habits must end. You must believe that you have great power. Health is not about debates or political ideologies. When someone is dying, I must provide care. I must try to save their life.”
The chief adviser continued, “If you raise your voice, people will rally to you. So we must sit down and decide together what we can do. No need to pledge to anyone. No undertakings needed. Make a commitment to yourself. With what we already have, we can make a substantial change. What we do is the state of Bangladesh’s healthcare. If I set my mind to it, service quality can increase by 25%.”
As part of the health sector reform initiative, Health and Family Welfare Ministry Adviser Nurjahan Begum pointed out a severe lack of discipline and accountability in the sector. “Without resolving these issues, appointing more doctors and nurses will not yield the desired outcome,” she said.
The health adviser also shared that to ensure better healthcare delivery, a process has begun to create 7,000 supernumerary posts and recruit 3,000 new doctors. These additional posts will also allow long-overdue promotions for deprived physicians.
The ongoing conference, being held at the Shaheed Abu Sayeed International Convention Center next to Hotel InterContinental, will feature 11 working sessions involving 13 ministries. These sessions are expected to foster open discussions on the challenges and development of the healthcare sector.
According to the Health Ministry, much like the annual Deputy Commissioner (DC) Conference, which reviews district-level governance, this is the first-ever Civil Surgeon Conference involving health administrators from all 64 districts. Before the event, civil surgeons were instructed to send in reports detailing problems and challenges in healthcare delivery across their districts.
