DHAKA : Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today said the beneficiaries of fascism remained active in the state, politics, governance and administration, and out to destabilise the country’s power and energy sector by spreading misleading information and creating confusion. 

“Those who are benefited from fascism are not sitting idle. This group is quite active to destabilise the country’s energy and power sector in various ways. They were spreading misleading information about the sector,” he said.

The Prime Minister made the remarks while addressing a doctors’ rally organised on the occasion of the 37th founding anniversary of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad complex this morning.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by his wife and Vice Chairman of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation Dr Zubaida Rahman at the programme.

Tarique Rahman said previous governments’ unplanned projects and decisions had placed the country’s power and energy sector at risk, and the present government was working to protect the country and its people from its consequences. 

“The government is not denying that people are currently facing crises of electricity, gas and fuel. But the country, its people and the government are now paying for those unplanned schemes to provide special benefits to certain quarters,” he noted. 
 
The Prime Minister said the government had inherited a fragile situation and was working to address the challenges. We have already started taking various steps to overcome the multifaceted crises,” he said. 

The Prime Minister said plans are being formulated to gradually bring people out of the crises of gas, electricity and fuel.

Earlier, the Prime Minister and Dr Zubaida Rahman planted saplings of neem and arjun trees on the premises of the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

They later formally inaugurated the doctors’ rally by hoisting the national and party flags and releasing balloons and pigeons.

DAB leaders and doctors from different parts of the country attended the gathering. DAB President Professor Dr Harun Al Rashid presided over the rally.

BNP Secretary General and LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md. Zahid Hossain, Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain and DAB Secretary General Dr Md Zahirul Islam Shakil, among others, addressed the programme.

Citing a quote attributed to American inventor and businessman Thomas Alva Edison, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said future doctors would not prescribe medicines alone, but would educate patients about physical exercise, balanced diets and the causes and means of preventing diseases.

“The present government’s health policy is closely aligned with this approach,” he said, adding, “The present government believes in the principle that prevention is better than cure. Instead of seeking treatment after a disease develops, we should take necessary precautions beforehand to prevent it from occurring.”

The Prime Minister said the government had decided to recruit 100,000 new health workers across the country to raise public awareness about primary healthcare. “Doctors must take the lead in providing proper training to those health workers,” he said.

Sharing an observation, Tarique said there had been discussions among the conscious sections of society over whether students and professionals should engage in politics and, if so, to what extent.

He said, “I believe that in a democratic state, where political decisions influence almost every aspect of life, it is not unreasonable for students, teachers and professionals to remain politically organised or politically aware according to their respective ideologies.”

“However, everyone needs to remain cautious so that excessive political involvement does not interfere with the discharge of their professional responsibilities. It is now time to bring about qualitative changes in politics by going beyond traditional political practices,” he added.

Addressing the doctors, the Prime Minister said a number of proposals had been placed on their behalf to make the country’s health system and medical services more effective and people-oriented.

The proposals included recruiting 5,000 doctors through a special BCS examination within the shortest possible time; raising the age limit for entry into government service for doctors from 32 to 34 years; and increasing the retirement age of doctors from 61 to 65 years.

Other proposals included enacting a timely Health Services Protection Act to ensure the safety of both doctors and patients, introducing special allowances and incentives for doctors working at upazila and remote areas, formulating a specific and equitable pay structure for more than 100,000 doctors working in the private sector, and establishing specialised hospitals at divisional, district and upazila levels instead of concentrating such facilities in the capital.

Tarique said the proposals were not unreasonable and that the government had already begun implementing plans to establish specialised hospitals including ones for children outside Dhaka.

“The other proposals will also be positively examined and considered in phases,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the government had inherited a fragile state, a weak economy, a divided administration and fragile education and healthcare systems, and has been working to successfully overcome the situation.

“Even in such a situation, the beneficiaries of fascism in the state, politics, governance and administration are not sitting idle. 

Recently, we have observed that a group is strategically active in trying to destabilise the fuel or power sector,” he said adding the government is making efforts to tackle all such situations through positive initiatives.

Mentioning that the government has begun implementing practical plans to make the education, health and energy sectors self-reliant and sustainable, the Prime Minister said, ”For the first time, the government has made second-highest allocations in the national budget for the health sector. 

“We have plans to gradually raise this allocation to 5 percent of GDP over the next five years,” he said, adding, “We have also initiated work to introduce e-health cards at the earliest, while a decision has been taken to upgrade every upazila hospital into a 101-bed facility.”

“However, infrastructure development alone will not bring success unless doctors remain dedicated to their profession with a spirit of service,” said the Prime Minister.

Tarique Rahman said doctors face various limitations while discharging their duties, but unintentional negligence or laxity in some cases creates public distrust in doctors and overall healthcare system. It also raises questions about the government’s overall activities, he said.

“People expect doctors to play a more responsible and humane role,” the premier said, adding, “Let us all work together to build a doctor-friendly Bangladesh where every citizen will receive quality healthcare and no one will have to go abroad for better treatment.”

Prime Minister’s Adviser Ismail Zabihullah, State Minister for Health Dr. M A Muhit, and senior officials of the Prime Minister’s Office were present.