Mindset must change to take healthcare to people’s doorsteps, says the President

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has stressed the need to overhaul the country’s overall health system, alongside a change in mindset among all concerned, in order to take healthcare to people’s doorsteps.

He made the remarks on Friday morning at the inauguration of the 1st International Conference and Dental Expo-2026, organised by the Bangladesh Prosthodontic Society.

The President said: “Major change is needed in the country’s healthcare. The health system must be rebuilt anew. For that, mindsets must also change. The country’s brightest students study medicine, and the government has invested substantially in this sector. But the benefits of that investment are not reaching ordinary people.”

He said such bottlenecks have developed in the country’s healthcare system that it has become difficult for ordinary people to obtain treatment. He also noted that dental treatment is so expensive that ordinary people cannot bear its cost.

Referring to the limitations of government hospitals, the President said that in most cases they lack the necessary doctors and adequate treatment facilities. At the upazila level, doctors can hardly be found at all, he said, forcing ordinary people to turn to unqualified practitioners.

He therefore called on the authorities concerned to appoint a sufficient number of government doctors at health centres in remote areas.

Stressing the need for young doctors to serve in rural areas, the President said many young doctors do not want to go to villages after graduating, and some who do go leave after a while for other training or work. This mindset needs to change, he said.

Calling on those responsible to act sincerely to stop mismanagement in the health sector, he said the situation could change very easily if there were love and a sense of duty towards people.

The President also called for initiatives to keep professional organisations outside party politics, saying there should be no politicisation in professional fields. If such initiatives are taken, many of the problems will ease, he said, adding that the tendency for everything in an organisation to change whenever the government changes must also stop.

He said the people of the country want change, and everyone must work together for that positive change. Everyone must work from their own position to establish a universal and people-friendly health system, he added.

Earlier, the President unveiled the organisation’s souvenir and was presented with an honorary crest. Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council president Professor Dr Md Saiful Islam and Bangladesh Medical University dental faculty dean Professor Dr Sakhawat Hossain spoke at the event as special guests.