The rural people in Jhenaidah are availing themselves of better health services through the community clinics. Better health services are also ensured from each and every clinic where a number of multipurpose health volunteers (MHV) were deployed to render inclusive services to the people.
A total of 175 community clinics (CCs) were set up in six upazilas of the district, said the health department office sources.
When this correspondent visited a number of community clinics including Nityanandapur CC, talked to a number of local people, patients, service providers and management committee leaders.
Former union parishad member Provakana Biswas who rushed at Nityanandapur CC to check her blood pressure when contacted, said she visited the clinic almost on regular basis for blood pressure checking and treating family members. The people mostly women and children rush the clinic six days a week.
Some female patients including a pregnant mother when contacted at the CC said they received the service of blood pressure checking, weight measuring, counseling on health and medicare facilities for themselves as well as the children.
The remoter women said earlier they had to rush upazila health complex at Shailkupa or at the district level hospitals in Jhenaidah even for a trifling health problem. But the health services are at their doorsteps round the clock. Not only on office hours, but also could receive health advices from the local community health care provider (CHCP), better known as “Apa” round the clock.
Newly recruited multipurpose health volunteers (MHV) Rozina Akter, Shafiullah, Shirin Shila Toma, Emdadul Islam, Abdul Alim and Nazma Khatun when asked their expression about providing health services as volunteers, said they were lucky enough to stand by the local people. No one will be out of primary medicare facilities in the community clinics any way, they said.
CHCP at Nityanandapur Feroja Khatun when contacted said she examines and serves about 40 patients on an average a day. Most of them are female and children. She advices and distribute 27 types of drug among the patients which depends on availability of supply. She said she was very impressed when providing health services among the rural people staying in the locality. It was really a blessing for her, Feroja Khatun said.
Nityanandapur community clinic management committee president Jakir Hossain said the people of his village, along with Bhabanipur, Rupdah, Kakuriadanga, Baspur, Golaknagar and some other surrounding villages rush the CC for treatment with confidence.
But the clinics were closed for years due to political ill-motive of the then BNP government. It was a shame and bad luck for the countrymen, management committee president said.
Upazila health and family planning officer (UHFPO) Dr. Rashed Al Mamun when contacted said the CCs are monitored by the health inspector of respective areas for better medicare services.
Civil surgeon Dr. Salina Begum when contacted said the government has been running a total of 175 CCs in the district. 40 CCs were set up in Jhenaidah Sadar and Shailkupa each, 28 in Kaliganj, 11 in Kotchandpur, 33 in bordering Moheshpur and 23 in Harinakundu upazila. About 7,000 patients are provided treatment through the community clinics daily.
Civil surgeon said to ensure health services at homestead, the government had recruited huge volunteers from the local community which will help fulfill the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
