Govt to introduce 'E-Health Cards' in 5 districts on trial basis: PM

Prime Minister Tariq Rahman announced that the government has taken an initiative to introduce ‘E-Health Cards’ in five districts on a trial basis within 180 days on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister made the announcement in the Jatiya Sangsad during the question-and-answer session, responding to a starred question from MP Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas of the Pabna-5 constituency on Wednesday afternoon.

"Under the 180-day program, initiatives have been taken to provide 'E-Health Cards' to the citizens. A project in this regard is currently awaiting approval. Through this project, the distribution of E-Health Cards will begin within 180 days for the residents of five districts: Khulna, Noakhali, Bogura, Sirajganj, and Narsingdi," the Prime Minister said. He added that these E-Health cards will be integrated with the Electronic Referral System and the Electronic Patient Management System.

Highlighting his government’s priority areas under the 180-day program aligned with election pledges, the Prime Minister outlined several key milestones and plans:

In the piloting stage of the 'Family Card' initiative aimed at female household heads, 60,044 families across 36 units have already received cards. Meanwhile, under the pre-piloting stage of the 'Farmer Card', 20,748 individuals across 11 agricultural blocks in 11 upazilas of 10 districts have been issued cards. To fulfill its election promises, the government has also waived agricultural loans of up to Tk 10,000 in the crop, livestock, and fisheries sectors. Furthermore, monthly honorariums are being provided to staffers at 4,908 mosques, 990 temples, 144 Buddhist monasteries/pagodas, and 396 churches, with plans to expand this facility to all religious places of worship in phases.

The excavation and re-excavation of 666 canals, spanning a total length of 965.04 kilometers, are currently underway through joint efforts of the Ministry of Water Resources, Local Government Division, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. Additionally, as part of a grand scheme to plant 250 million trees and create green jobs, approximately 31.4 million saplings will be planted during the upcoming monsoon season.

The government plans to distribute free school uniforms to 200,000 primary school children in the next fiscal year. A 'One Teacher, One Tab' initiative will also be rolled out progressively across various schools. For students heading abroad on language visas, the existing collateral-free loan limit has been raised from Tk 3 lakh to Tk 10 lakh. This loan facility has been simplified for Japan-bound students, allowing them to secure it based on their Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) before obtaining their visas.

Aiming to generate 20 percent of the country's electricity from renewable sources by 2030, a total of 35 megawatts of power has already been added to the national grid through the National Rooftop Solar Program and net metering. In the sports sector, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has launched the 'Notun Kuri Sports-2026' program to scout athletic talent among children aged 12 to 14. This initiative spans eight sports disciplines, including football, cricket, kabaddi, athletics, badminton, chess, swimming, and martial arts.

The parliamentary session began earlier at 3pm with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed in the chair. The first 30 minutes of the sitting were dedicated to questions for the Prime Minister. Out of the five starred questions listed for him, the Prime Minister answered three along with several supplementary questions raised by lawmakers during the allotted time.