The Health Reform Commission has submitted their report to the chief advisor

Photo: Collected

News Desk: The interim government has formed several reform commissions after taking office. One of them is the reform commission on health services. That commission submitted its report today, Monday.

At 11 am on Monday, the Health Reform Commission submitted its report to the Honorable Chief Advisor at the State Guest House Jamuna.

On November 17, 2024, the interim government formed a 12-member Health Sector Reform Commission headed by Professor AK Azad Khan, President of the Bangladesh Diabetic Association. The members of the commission were Professor Dr. Mohammad Zakir Hossain, Professor Dr. Liaquat Ali, Professor Dr. Saeba Akhter, Professor Dr. Naila Zaman Khan, former Secretary SM Reza, Professor Dr. Mozaherul Haque, Dr. Azharul Islam Khan, Professor Dr. Syed Md. Akram Hossain, Professor Dr. Syed Atiqul Haque, Dr. Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman, and Umair Afif, a fifth-year student at Dhaka Medical College.

Earlier, Azad Majumdar, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Advisor, posted a status on Facebook regarding the report of this commission. In which he expressed optimism about the recommendations of the health sector.

The Deputy Press Secretary wrote in his Facebook post, ‘The Health Service Reform Commission will submit its report today. It is highly expected that they will make some recommendations that, if implemented, will bring about fundamental changes in the health service sector, and the common people of Bangladesh will benefit’.

Informing about the recommendations of the Health Service Reform Commission report, he wrote, ‘As far as I know, they are going to make a recommendation that says that representatives of pharmaceutical companies will no longer be able to meet doctors directly in hospitals. They will have to be informed about medicines through e-mail’.

He also wrote, ‘If this is implemented, it will save doctors’ time; in this case, bribery and gift transactions will be greatly reduced, and unnecessary medicines prescribed to please the company will stop.’

Azad Majumdar also wrote, "If the generic name of the medicine can be forced to be written in the prescription, that will also be a big reform." I hope the commission's report will provide guidance on this issue as well."