Govt aware of the fuel and electricity crisis: Tarique
Photo: Screengrab from video.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said the government is aware of the fuel and electricity challenges the people of the country are facing.
He added that various projects and policies in the energy sector were adopted in an unplanned manner in the past. The country, the people, and the government are now paying the price for these policies, which were implemented to benefit specific circles.
Tarique made these remarks on Saturday during a gathering of physicians organized in Dhaka to mark the 37th founding anniversary of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB).
He said the government has begun working to overcome the current situation in the energy sector and is reconsidering unplanned projects to bring the sector under proper planning and gradually resolve the overall energy crisis, including gas and petrol.
Tarique noted that the government has initiated realistic planning and implementation to make sectors such as education, health, and energy self-reliant and capable and has started working on a realistic plan to make the healthcare system modern, self-sufficient, and people-friendly.
He mentioned that they are moving toward a target of allocating 5 percent of the GDP to the health sector, adding that both government and private doctors must work collectively to ensure the benefits of the funding reach the public.
The PM emphasized that a key goal of the government’s health policy is “Prevention is better than cure,” prioritizing the prevention of diseases alongside treatment. He believes that the prevalence of many diseases can be reduced if awareness is created among people from the beginning regarding the causes of diseases, prevention, and healthy living.
Citing a statement by American inventor and businessman Thomas Edison, Tarique noted that a concept found in Edison’s words suggests that the duty of a future physician will not merely be to provide medicine; rather, an essential part of the healthcare system will be to make patients aware of the care of the body, dietary habits, and the causes and prevention of diseases.
He mentioned that there is a similarity between this thought and the government’s health policy. Emphasizing disease prevention, the government has taken the initiative to recruit 1,00,000 more health workers.
These workers will raise awareness among the general public regarding primary healthcare, disease prevention, and health consciousness. However, he also noted that doctors must provide leadership in giving these health workers proper training.
Addressing the issue of political involvement of physicians, Tarique said in a democratic state, political decisions influence almost every area of people’s lives. Therefore, it is not irrational for students, teachers, and various professionals to remain politically conscious or organized according to their respective ideologies.
However, he remarked that the most important thing is that political involvement must not create any kind of disruption in the performance of professional duties. Calling upon the doctors of DAB to remain cautious in this regard, Tarique added that the primary responsibility of doctors is to ensure healthcare for the people.
He noted that moving beyond conventional politics, a qualitative change in politics is now the demand of the times and this change is necessary not just for a specific sector, but for every field of the country as a whole.
