Urban delivery project workers do not want to go under the Ministry of Health

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Initiatives have been taken to transfer the health centers under the Urban Primary Health Care Services Delivery Project to the Ministry of Health to ensure primary health care for poor people in urban areas. However, it has been alleged that the future of thousands of officials and employees working in this project has become uncertain.

Project officials do not want this project to be under the Ministry of Health. In this situation, they have sought the intervention of the Prime Minister to demand that the health care program be uninterrupted and the experienced manpower should be retained in the job.

Officials and employees of ‘Urban Primary Health Care Services Delivery Project Phase II’ made these demands in a human chain organized in front of the National Press Club on Wednesday. Thousands of officers and employees participated in it.

According to a press release sent to the media, health care is being provided to about 1 crore 70 lakh people in 12 city corporations and 21 municipalities of the country through this project managed under the local government department. Important services including pre-natal and post-natal care, general delivery, caesarean operation, child health, immunization are provided from 30 City Matri Sadan (CRHCC) and 162 City Health Centers (PHCC) constructed under the project.

A total of 4 thousand 382 doctors, nurses, paramedics and technicians are currently working in these centers, including 987 maternity ward workers and 3 thousand 395 health center workers.

According to project officials, from March 2018 to June 2025, 3460,000 antenatal and 1000,000 postnatal services have been provided through this project. Apart from this, 1 lakh 90 thousand children have been ensured safe birth and about 99 lakh 20 thousand children have been vaccinated. Responding to national needs, this manpower has also played a role in controlling the epidemic by vaccinating around 70 lakhs of Covid-19. In addition, about 6.6 million adolescents have been provided reproductive health services and about 1.24 million children have been provided with various health care services.

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According to the press release, according to the ‘Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009’ and ‘Local Government (Municipal) Act, 2009’, the main responsibility of providing primary health care to the city dwellers is vested in the concerned local government. In the past, the Cabinet Department and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also agreed to run this service through the Local Government Department.

At present, the process of handing over the health centers to the Ministry of Health is going on, but no clear instructions have been given regarding the permanentization of 4 thousand 382 skilled manpower or their job retention. As a result the staff working in PMU, PIU and project areas are in extreme confusion and anxiety. Concerned persons believe that there is a danger of disrupting this successful healthcare program for a long time.

People related to the project said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed interest in financing the next, i.e., fifth phase of the project. In this situation, the direct intervention and direction of the Prime Minister is required to keep these long-experienced manpower in their jobs and to sustain the urban health care. According to people concerned, the loss of experienced manpower threatens the collapse of this primary health care system for the poor in urban areas.

Urban Primary Health Care Services Delivery Project Second Phase Senior Program Monitoring Officer. Abdur Rahim said that a memorandum with the Prime Minister has been submitted to the Tejgaon office.