Govt plans health hubs in remote areas across country: Health Minister

The government plans to establish health hubs in remote parts of the country to ensure people in rural communities can access essential medical services locally instead of travelling to cities for treatment, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said on Sunday (August 9).

He revealed the information during a visit to Haimchar Upazila Health Complex in Chandpur, where he inspected the hospital’s medical services, management and overall operations.

The minister expressed dissatisfaction with the condition of the facility after seeing its operations firsthand and directed officials to take immediate steps to address shortcomings.

He also ordered the stand release of Chandpur Civil Surgeon Dr Md Nur Alam Din.

Sakhawat Husain said strengthening healthcare at the upazila and village levels would be essential to reducing pressure on urban hospitals and ensuring that people do not have to leave their communities for basic and necessary treatment.

“The purpose of local healthcare cannot be achieved if rural patients still have to travel to cities for treatment,” he said, emphasising the need to strengthen medical infrastructure and expand essential services outside major urban centres.

The minister also criticised the previous government over its handling of the health sector, alleging that inadequate oversight had allowed public funds to be wasted and misappropriated through the purchase of medical equipment at inflated prices.

During the inspection, he issued several instructions to health officials regarding patient care, hospital management and the delivery of medical services.

Chandpur-3 lawmaker Sheikh Farid Ahmed Manik and officials from the health department were present during the minister’s visit.

The proposed health-hub model is intended to expand access to essential healthcare in underserved communities while reducing the need for patients to travel to district and metropolitan hospitals.