Govt to Launch Digital App and Recruit 100k Community Health Workers for Women's Healthcare
To strengthen women's healthcare, cervical & breast cancer screening, the government emphasizes launching a bilateral digital health app and planning to recruit 100,000 new community health workers.
State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. M A Muhit has emphasized launching a digital health app, enhancing the skills of field-level health workers, and providing advanced international training for young doctors to make women's healthcare services more effective and accessible in Bangladesh. He stated that the government is prioritizing women's health to reform and modernize the healthcare system, pledging to deliver quality healthcare directly to people's doorsteps.
The seminar was also attended by Shah Imam Ali Reza, Additional Secretary (Planning) of the Health Services Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Professor Dr. Foara Tasnim, Additional Director General (Planning and Development) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS); Kristine Blokhus (Kathrine Brin Camcong), Representative of UNFPA Bangladesh, along with other senior health officials and specialist physicians.
He made these remarks as the chief guest on Tuesday (July 14) at a seminar titled "Her Health Bangladesh: Accelerating Women's Health and Well-being, Strengthening National Maternal Health, and Cervical and Breast Cancer Programs" held at the CIRDAP Auditorium in Dhaka. The program was jointly funded by the Government of Bangladesh and the European Investment Bank, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The State Minister Dr. M A Muhit highlighted that the "Digital Health and Innovation" component of the program is highly crucial in the current context while delivering his speech as a chief guest at the event. He said, Under this initiative, a two-way digital app with separate interfaces for patients and healthcare providers needs to be developed. This will facilitate rapid and accurate data collection from the field, while patients can receive regular reminders for check-ups, necessary advice, and health awareness information.
He further added that proper training of field-level health workers is essential for detecting breast cancer and fistula. He called for incorporating advanced surgical training for young surgeons and specialized cancer treatment training for doctors into the project. Additionally, he urged initiatives to launch short-term international fellowships for young Bangladeshi doctors through collaboration with various European medical institutions.
Reconstruction of Grassroots Healthcare & New Recruitment
During the seminar, Dr. Zia Hyder, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, outlined plans to restructure grassroots-level healthcare. He announced that three categories of health workers currently working at the field level are being integrated into a unified structure named "Community Health Workers". With 100,000 new recruitments, a total of over 140,000 community health workers will visit every household at least once every two months. He expressed optimism that this initiative would effectively ensure preventive healthcare services, including cervical and breast cancer screenings, at the grassroots level.
//DBTech/JNN/SMI//
