BSS :
As non- accessibility to public health care and low quality of health care are regarded as prime concerns for people, community health clinics come as saviour for a majority of population.
There is no denying the fact that private health care is expensive and it is also unaffordable by low-income rural people. In such situation, community health clinics are now driven to render medical services to people with meagre income and also to control the spread of diseases and reduce the growing mortality rates.
Rani Dey lives in Rupsha upazila in Khulna district with her family. For the last couple of days, she was suffering from pain in her stomach. Her husband is a day-labourer, they had no enough money to go to a private clinic for treatment. Later, her husband took her to nearby Durjoni Mohol Community Clinic.
After getting treatment, Rani and her husband Bikash Dey heaved a sigh of relief and expressed their gratefulness to the community clinic authority.
Not only Rani, many women and children are getting free treatment and free medicines from the community clinics across the country. The clinics come as a blessing for the people specially for women and children.
In Khulna district, there are presently a total of 203 community clinics.
Most of the clinics are popular among the commoners. The clinics are not only providing preliminary treatment to patients but also expanding the services by appointing one medical officer at each clinic.
Another woman of the area, Rahela Khatun, 43, visits the Durjoni Mohol Community Clinic frequently. She has a number of health complications like back pain and weakness.
Rahela said, “I visit the clinic about two times in a month. Besides, every member of my family visits the clinics for treatment. We are also getting medicines free of cost from here. This is really a blessing for us. I would like to extend my thanks to our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. We are getting health facilities at our door-steps without any cost only for her.”
Sumi Nath visited the clinic along with her five-year old boy Pratul. She was suffering from fever and cough during the last week. After getting treatment and medicine, she seemed happy now.
Sumi said, “My husband is a rickshaw puller. He is the only earning member in the family. We have also two daughters and my father-in-law and mother-in-law in the family. All members of my family often visit the clinic for treatment.”
Assistant Health Inspector of the Aichgati union Syed Mizanur Rahman said that people can be cured if they are aware of the health problems. Most patients, who visit the clinic, are women, he added.
Khulna Civil Surgeon Dr ASM Abdur Razzak said that the Community Clinic is one of the 10 initiatives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“Community Clinic is a brain child of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to extend primary health care services to the doorsteps of people throughout the country, especially in rural areas,” he added.
Health Engineering Department (HED) Khulna Information Officer and Assistant Engineer (Civil) Shebok Mondol said at present there are about 209 community clinics in the Khulna district, while construction work of 17 completely new model clinics continues. Of them, four have already been completed.
On the other hand, the Community Clinic Health Support Trust launched a guideline on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for community clinics in the country few months ago.
The WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) guideline marked the initiation of changing the WASH facilities in community clinics as a standard for community level health service providers to improve quality health services.
