Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury has announced an initiative to immediately recruit 5,000 MBBS doctors to fill long-standing vacancies in the country's healthcare sector.
Presenting the national budget in Parliament, the finance minister said the government is taking urgent measures to strengthen healthcare services and address existing manpower shortages.
He expressed concern over the recent measles outbreak, stating that shortcomings in vaccine procurement and immunization programmes in previous years contributed to the spread of the disease and the tragic loss of children's lives. He said the government had taken swift action to tackle the situation and successfully brought almost all eligible children under the measles-rubella vaccination programme within its first 100 days.
The minister also announced plans to introduce a modern, skills-based and future-oriented MBBS curriculum. The revised curriculum will incorporate an integrated modular approach, enhanced clinical education, and the use of artificial intelligence-based medical knowledge and technology.
In addition, opportunities for higher education and professional development in the nursing and midwifery sectors will be expanded. The government plans to increase access to bachelor's and master's degree programmes in nursing to strengthen the country's healthcare workforce.
To improve healthcare services nationwide, the government has initiated a recruitment process for 100,000 new health workers, with women expected to account for approximately 80 percent of the appointments.
The proposed national budget for the upcoming fiscal year has been estimated at Tk 9.38 trillion, while the revenue target has been set at Tk 6.95 trillion. This leaves a budget deficit of Tk 2.43 trillion, which the government plans to finance through a combination of domestic and foreign borrowing.
