Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Saturday urged affluent people to establish hospitals in private sector ensuring health service equivalent to the standard of hospitals abroad, earmarking a provision of low-cost or free treatment for the poor.
   She made the call during the foundation laying for the Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital, a big venture in health sector, at Uttara undertaken by the charity organisation in view of a stark fact that a large number of cancer patients die without, or with improper, treatment.
   “It’s not possible to fully ensure health service for a large number of people of the country by the mere efforts of the government with limited resources,” the prime minister told the foundation-laying ceremony.
   She said the government in its national plan has put stress on the massive role of the private sector, private development organisations and voluntary institutions alongside the government to help overcome its shortcomings.
   A policy guideline has been formulated to provide government assistance to encourage private sector in taking up various service-oriented projects in various fields, including health, and their implementation, she added.
   The prime minister was happy to know that the hospital would run with no-profit, no-loss motive, giving equal facility of treatment to the rich and the poor.
   Earlier, she unveiled the plaque of the foundation stone of the cancer and general hospital at Uttara sector-10 beside the Dhaka-Ashulia road under Mirpur thana. The planned 500-bed hospital, to be housed in a 10-storied building on about 10 bighas of land, will cost over Tk 108 crore. The construction will complete in three years.
   Health Minister Dr Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, Social Welfare Minister Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, State Minister for Overseas Employment Maj (retd) Kamrul Islam, local lawmaker SA Khaleque and executive director of the Dhaka Ahsania Mission Kazi Rafiqul Alam also addressed the ceremony.
   Prime Minister Khaleda said it is the fundamental right of the people to get healthcare, and improved health service ensures good public health. A healthy nation plays important role in the development of a country’s economy, she observed.
   “So we, despite resource constraints, are implementing various programmes to deliver health services to the doorstep of the people and improve its overall quality,” Khaleda said.
   She mentioned that the government this time also gave importance to health service in the budget and increased the allocation. A 3-year health project titled “Health, Nutrition and Population Sector programme” has been implemented at a cost of Tk 9,410 crore to reach the health service on priority basis to the poor people and the comparatively backward areas.
   The prime minister listed development activities in the health sector under her government and said advisory and aid committees have been formed for hospitals at all levels under the leadership of local MPs, which she hoped will increase the standard of health service at the grassroots level.