Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Wednesday alleged that the country’s medical system is not improving as expected since a big part of the budgetary allocation made for the health sector is being plundered.
“The Covid situation is getting worse day by day. The lack of medicines and necessary manpower, including doctors and nurses, has become acute in hospitals. Many district- and upazila-level hospitals don’t have (central) oxygen systems, contributing to the gradual rise in fatality rate,” he said.
The Jatiya Party chief said, “The country is facing such a terrible corona situation due to the government’s negligence. When many countries in the world spend 5 to 6 percent of their GDP on medical care, we spend only one percent. But a huge portion of the allocation in the health sector is being looted. So, our medical system is not improving.”
He made the remarks while inaugurating a food distribution programme at Jatiya Party’s Kakrail office on the eve of party founder HM Ershad’s second death anniversary.
Jatiya Party Dhaka south city unit arranged the programme to distribute food among 10,000 needy people.
READ: Lack of vaccines making Covid situation worse: GM Quader
GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, said their party has long been talking about improving the health care system in the country. “We need to improve our medical system instead of enforcing a lockdown to tackle the Covid situation.”
He said the government must provide each of the genuine poor families with at least Tk 10,000 per month during the Covid period without considering their political identities. “Had this been, then the needy people wouldn’t have had to come out of homes and thus the lockdown would have been effective.”
The Jatiya Party chairman said the government can give good support to the unemployed people by spending only one percent of the GDP. “We had repeatedly urged the government to ensure food and necessary medicines for the poor before enforcing the lockdown.”
He demanded the government introduce a palli (rural) rationing system for the extremely poor people.
Quader said the government is just making assurances that the necessary vaccines will be collected. “But they can't say when it’ll come, how it’ll come, or from where it’ll come. That’s why there's a frustration among people about corona vaccines.”
He said when the entire world is tackling corona with vaccines, Bangladesh is trying to contain it with a lockdown. “It can never be a logical move.”
The Jatiya Party chief alleged that people are not getting proper treatment at public hospitals. “Corona patients from districts and upazilas are crowding divisional cities and the capital. As beds are not available at public hospitals, patients are being forced to receive treatment at private hospitals spending huge money. Those who don’t have money are losing their loved ones, including parents without treatment. We never wanted such a horrible situation in the country.”
READ: GM Quader greets PM ahead of Eid ul Azha
Jatiya Party Senior Co-Chairman Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, Secretary General Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, and Co-Chairmen Syed Abu Hossain Babla MP and Mujibul Haque Chunnu MP, among others, spoke at the programme.