NICAR approves proposal to merge two divisions under health ministry

The National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reforms (NICAR) today approved a proposal to restructure the 'Ministry of Health and Family Welfare' by merging the 'Health Services Division' and the 'Health Education and Family Welfare Division'.

The NICAR gave the approval at its 119th meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna here with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in the chair.

This was the first NICAR meeting held during the tenure of the interim government.

After the meeting, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed the media at the Foreign Service Academy in the afternoon.

The meeting was attended by six advisers of the government, including the Adviser for the Ministry of Finance and the Adviser for the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, as well as the Cabinet Secretary, the Principal Secretary, and a total of 14 Secretaries and Senior Secretaries of the government.

During the meeting, a total of 11 proposals related to administrative reforms were approved.

The press secretary said, "The main purpose of splitting the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was to simplify services. However, the responsibility of the Department of Health Services and the design of medical colleges, universities, nursing institutes and maternal and child health and family planning programs was included in the Department of Health Education and Family Welfare. The experience after the creation of the two departments of the ministry shows that this two-pronged structure has not brought the expected benefits. There has been a considerable deterioration in the quality of both health services and health education."