A Syndicate Is Trying to Create Instability in Power and Energy Sector: Prime Minister

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman stated that a syndicate is deliberately attempting to create instability in the power and energy sector. He made these remarks on Saturday (August 8) morning while speaking at a doctors' convention organized at the LD Hall of the National Parliament on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB).

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said that a group is actively working to strategically destabilize the power and energy sector while presenting misleading statements in various ways. However, the government has already begun working to pull the country and its people out of this crisis.

He said, "When we assumed office, we inherited a fragile state. The government is working to successfully rebuild the nation amidst a weak economy, a divided administration, and broken education and healthcare systems."

He added, "Beneficiaries of fascism are not sitting idle in various tiers of the state and administration. Unplanned projects and policies from the past have placed our energy sector in jeopardy. The government is addressing these issues to guide the country out of the crisis."

Highlighting healthcare reforms and the government's future plans at the convention, the Prime Minister stated that the current administration's healthcare philosophy is "prevention is better than cure." To raise public awareness about disease prevention, the government is set to recruit 100,000 health workers nationwide. Working under the leadership of physicians, these health workers will educate and alert citizens regarding primary healthcare.

Addressing political involvement among doctors and professionals, Tarique Rahman remarked that in a democratic state, political decisions impact everything; thus, it is not unreasonable for students, teachers, or professionals to remain politically conscious or organized. However, he urged physicians to remain cautious so that political involvement never interferes with their professional duties.

Assuring that the government will consider the demands presented by DAB, the Prime Minister noted that their requests including recruiting 5,000 doctors through a special BCS in the shortest possible time, raising the entry age limit for government medical service to 32–34 years, increasing the retirement age to 61–65 years, enacting a Healthcare Protection Act, providing special allowances for those serving at the upazila level, and establishing a fair and structured salary scale for private sector doctors are reasonable and worthy of consideration.

Mentioning that the healthcare sector received the second-highest budget allocation in the country's history, he emphasized working towards a goal of allocating 5% of GDP to health. Beyond this, decisions have been taken to introduce 'E-Health Cards' as quickly as possible and to upgrade every Upazila Health Complex into a 101-bed hospital.

Seeking full cooperation and support from both public and private sector physicians to implement government initiatives, Tarique Rahman said, "Let us together build a healthcare-friendly Bangladesh where every citizen receives quality medical treatment, eliminating the need to go abroad for advanced care."

The convention was also attended by Minister for Local Government and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the Prime Minister's wife Dr. Zubaida Rahman, DAB President Professor Dr. Harun Al Rashid, and General Secretary Dr. Md. Zahirul Islam Shakil, among others.