Dhaka: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today highlighted the government’s comprehensive initiatives aimed at enhancing public awareness on family and public health through various programs spanning from grassroots to the national level. “The government has various activities to increase public awareness on family and public health,” he stated in response to a starred question from treasury bench lawmaker Md Showkatul Islam of the Moulvibazar-2 constituency in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS), where Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, presided over the session.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Leader of the House emphasized that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been implementing a range of timely awareness programs. These initiatives aim to raise awareness on health and family planning services, improve maternal and child health, and safeguard public health from the grassroots to the national level.
The Prime Minister elaborated that various health facilities, including hospitals, health service centers, union health and family welfare centers, maternal and child welfare centers, and community clinics, are actively providing services. These services encompass health care, family planning, maternal and child health services, antenatal care, safe institutional delivery, postnatal care, and nutrition services nationwide.
He further explained that through satellite clinics, school health education programs, family conferences, counseling, and mass media campaigns, awareness is fostered among the populace. These efforts focus on adolescent care, prevention of child marriage, avoiding childbirth before the age of 20, maintaining a 2-3 year gap between children, and preventing violence against women.
Moreover, the Prime Minister mentioned the implementation of communicable and non-communicable diseases control programs, public health education, telemedicine services, health information portals, and seasonal disease prevention activities.
Tarique Rahman also touched on the role of the Local Government Division, noting that tubewells installed by the Department of Public Health Engineering are marked with red if contaminated with arsenic and green if arsenic-free, encouraging safe usage for drinking and other purposes.
Additionally, the government is promoting sustainable water use and sanitation through development projects, workshops, and courtyard meetings. National Sanitation Month in October, Global Handwashing Day on October 15, and World Water Day on March 22 are observed annually to encourage hygienic practices.
Public awareness efforts also focus on maintaining hygiene at home, using sanitary latrines, and regularly cleaning septic tanks, the Prime Minister added.