Ordinary people are not getting the benefit of huge investment in healthcare, President calls for overhaul of health system

Meritorious students are studying medicine in the country and the government also has significant investment in the health sector, but the benefit of that investment is not reaching ordinary people, President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said.

He made the remarks on Friday morning, 13 November, while speaking at the inauguration of the first International Conference and Dental Expo-2026, organised by the Bangladesh Prosthodontic Society.

The President said that to take healthcare to people's doorsteps, the country's health system must be reorganised anew and the mindset of everyone involved must change. Major change is needed in the country's healthcare, and alongside infrastructure development, the mindset of those involved must also change, he said.

Pointing to the limitations of the current system, he said it has become difficult for ordinary people to get the treatment they need because of various complications. In particular, the cost of dental treatment is so high that lower- and middle-income people cannot afford it.

He said many government hospitals do not have the necessary doctors or adequate treatment facilities, and doctors are often not found at upazila-level health centres. As a result, ordinary people are forced to turn to quack doctors. He called on the authorities concerned to appoint a sufficient number of government doctors at health centres in remote areas to change this situation.

The President also stressed building a mindset among young doctors to provide treatment in rural areas. In his view, many doctors are not keen to go to villages after completing their studies, and some who do join leave within a short time on the pretext of training or other work. That tendency must be abandoned in favour of devoting themselves to serving people, he said.

Calling on those concerned to be sincere in removing irregularities and mismanagement in the health sector, he said the existing problems would not be difficult to solve if there were love and a sense of responsibility towards people.

The President also stressed keeping professional organisations free of party politics. He said there should be no partisan division in professional bodies, and the tendency for everything in an organisation's leadership and activities to change whenever the government changes must stop. Many problems could be solved if effective steps were taken on this, he said.

The President added that the people of the country want change. Everyone must work together to establish a universal and people-friendly health system, and positive change in the health sector is possible if everyone plays a responsible role from their own position.