Journalists and non-government service providers on Tuesday said that the poor were being deprived of quality health services as the cost of such services in the country was very high.
At a media dialogue USAID’s non-government health service delivery project Smiling Sun, the service providers, however, said that the poor were paying high for health services as they did not know where to go for better treatment.
At the dialogue held at Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific auditorium in the city, the journalists said the lack of awareness was mainly responsible for such a situation.
Smiling Sun project director AK Shafiqur Rahman, in response, said that reviewing the previous experience, they would emphasise mass campaign and awareness building programmes on their clinical service.
The Smiling Sun project has started its new phase in January for four year, said chief of party of the project, Halida H Akhter.
The project, which would be implemented through 26 NGOs at 64 districts, aims at providing free treatment to at least 40 per cent of the poor and ultra poor, Halida said, adding, ‘The poor will get a ‘health card’ through which they will get free service at our clinics.’
Health ministry data shows that in health financing in 2006-2007, the public sector expenditure was 26 per cent of total health expenditure while out-of-pocket expenditure was 64 per cent.
SA Television news editor Shipon Halder, RTV news editor Anower Haq, daily Sangbad news editor Kazi Rafique, daily Samakal additional news editor Tapan Das, Samakal, and USAID deputy chief of mission Thomas Kress, among others, addressed the programme.
-With New Age input
