Doctor Posts Lying Vacant in Heaps at Government Hospitals, Recruitment Without a Plan Will Not Work: Social Welfare Minister

Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister AZM Zahid Hossain has expressed dissatisfaction that a huge number of doctor posts are lying vacant at various government hospitals and medical colleges. He said there is no specific plan for where doctors will be posted and how they will be utilised.

Zahid Hossain made the remarks as chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the 32nd National Conference and Scientific Seminar-2026 on Friday morning. The event, at the Shaheed Abu Sayeed International Convention Centre on Minto Road in the capital, was organised by the Bangladesh Society of Radiology and Imaging.

Director General of Health Professor Probhat Chandra Biswas spoke at the event before the social welfare minister. Addressing him, Zahid Hossain said doctors cannot even be provided, while doctor posts are lying vacant in heaps.

Zahid Hossain mentioned vacant doctor posts at hospitals and medical colleges in various areas including Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Satkhira, Jashore, Kushtia, Rangamati and Cox's Bazar.

The social welfare minister said there needs to be a plan for how doctors recruited through the BCS will be utilised. Recruitment alone will not do; how doctors will be posted to hospitals at different levels must be decided.

Giving the example of radiologist postings, Zahid Hossain said that before sending a radiologist to a hospital it must be ensured whether an ultrasonogram machine is working there, whether a radiographer is present, and whether the necessary equipment and manpower exist. Without such facilities, doctors will not be interested in working there.

The social welfare minister said that without planning, people will naturally want to go where working facilities exist. He therefore called on those concerned to prepare the necessary plans and advise the ministry.

Zahid Hossain stressed ensuring better medical services in different regions of the country. He said regional hospitals must be built up so that patients from the northern region do not have to go beyond Rangpur or Bogura, and that necessary manpower and medical equipment must likewise be ensured in the Sylhet, Chattogram, Khulna and Barishal regions, so that the trend of patients heading to Dhaka for treatment decreases.

The social welfare minister emphasised increasing doctors' skills. He said training and hands-on learning opportunities must be expanded to create skilled manpower in specialised services such as radiology and imaging, and medical universities and government hospitals must play an important role in this.

Calling for maximum use of limited resources, Zahid Hossain said Bangladesh is a resource-constrained country. He commented that everyone concerned must act responsibly to ensure proper use of government-allocated money and medical equipment.

Retired Brigadier General Syed Awsaf Ali, president of the Bangladesh Society of Radiology and Imaging, chaired the conference. Bangladesh Medical University Vice-Chancellor Professor FM Siddiqui, BNP health affairs secretary Professor Rafiqul Islam, society general secretary Professor Md Nazrul Islam, Doctors Association of Bangladesh president Professor Harun Al Rashid and general secretary Md Zahirul Islam, among others, also spoke at the inaugural session.

Doctors from various countries including the United States, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, India and Pakistan, besides Bangladesh, are taking part in this year's conference. The conference began in the morning with scientific sessions; after the inaugural session there will be another scientific session, the annual general meeting in the afternoon, an awards ceremony in the evening and a cultural programme at night.