One of the prerequisites for joining a public health center is to quiting smoking. In 1996, Sheikh Hasina became the Prime Minister. Her husband Wazed Mia is the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and his term has ended. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s husband Wazed Mia did not extend his tenure as expected. The Prime Minister called Dr. Zafarullah to see if any arrangements could be made there. Dr. Wazed Mia met Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury at gonoshasthaya kendra. He wants to be associated with the public health center “gonoshasthaya kendra”. The problem is smoking. Dr. Wazed Mia used to smoke a lot. After giving up smoking for a month, he joined the Public Health Center “gonoshasthaya kendra” as a science consultant. This is Dr. Zafarullah, who is uncompromising on the question of policy.
Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury empowers women
The total number of staff in the public health center “gonoshasthaya kendra” is about 2,500 at present. At least 40 percent of them are women. The public health center “gonoshasthaya kendra” is a people’s institution. There is a lot of talk about women’s empowerment. Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury challenged the conventional idea to empowered women through public health centers.
Gonoshasthaya Kendra the public health center of Bangladesh
Gonoshasthaya Kendra provides ‘services’, not medical ‘trade’. Gonoshasthaya has introduced health insurance, since its inception. The total cost of childbirth at the Dhaka Gonoshasthaya Kendra is Tk 2,000…Even less in Savar…Cesarean package 12 to 14 thousand BDT only. There is no additional cost in the case of doctor, medicine, pathological examination. Gonoshasthaya Kendra encourages normal delivery always. Caesarean section is not performed unless complications occur. It’s saying that as a compulsory there is no normal delivery in other hospitals or clinics. Cesarean packages range from a minimum of BDT 60,000 to BDT 2 or 3 lakh.
The cost of all pathological tests is less than half that of a medium quality hospital or clinic in Dhaka.
Gonoshasthaya Pharmaceutical
In 1981 The Gonoshasthaya Pharmaceutical formed. Medicines produced by gonoshasthaya are about half the price of medicines of all other pharmaceutical companies. For example, heparin is an essential injection for kidney dialysis. The market price is 350 to 450 BDT. The price of the product produced in Gonoshasthaya Pharmaceutical is 200 BDT. Atorvastatin is the most widely used cholesterol-lowering drug worldwide. A tablet produced in Gonoshasthaya costs 7 BDT, while a product produced by others costs 11 BDT. Gonoshasthaya is the first Pharmaceutical in Bangladesh to start production of raw material for paracetamol and several antibiotics.
100-bed Kidney Dialysis Center has been set up at gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital. India also does not have such a large kidney dialysis center. It is the largest and most developed kidney dialysis center in South Asia. The cost is incredibly low.
Medical services for any disease are provided by full-time, skilled nurses. There is no separate fee for these.
The pharmaceutical market in independent Bangladesh was controlled by multinational companies. There were about 4,500 medicines in the market including many unnecessary medicines. Some they produced, most imported from abroad.
Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury drug policy
He also explained the domestic pharmaceutical industry and policy to Ziaur Rahman. Ziaur Rahman wanted let Jafrullah join his cabinet and work on drug policy. Ziaur Rahman took the anti-independence Shafiul Azam with him; Zafrullah wrote a four-page letter and refused to join the cabinet. Later, he was able to explain the drug policy to Hussain Muhammad Ershad in 1982. About 2,800 drugs out of 4,500 were banned.
The development of the domestic pharmaceutical industry is the result of that revolutionary medicine policy. At present, Bangladesh produces more than 95% of the medicines of 16-17 crore people demand. Bangladesh is also a drug exporting country.
He is now a trustee of the gonoshasthaya kendra. He left the administrative post ten years ago. The owner of the gonoshasthayakendra is not a person. Owners are the people of Bangladesh.
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