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Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain on Thursday said the health sector has received the second-largest allocation in the national budget in line with the BNP’s election pledge to improve healthcare services nationwide.
He made the remarks while addressing a workshop and physicians’ gathering titled “The Role of Unani, Ayurvedic and Homeopathic Medicine in Building a Healthy Bangladesh” as the chief guest at the KIB Auditorium in the capital.
Dr Zahid said Bangladesh’s large population requires a diversified healthcare system, noting that no single form of treatment can meet the needs of all citizens.
He said Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman had recognised this reality after independence and initiated measures to modernise and strengthen the scientific foundations of Unani, Ayurvedic and Homeopathic medical education to expand access to healthcare.
Referring to Bangladesh’s population of around 180 million, the minister said a significant number of people still depend on these traditional systems of medicine, which remain an integral part of the country’s heritage and culture.
He stressed the need to strengthen public confidence in Unani, Ayurvedic and Homeopathic treatment alongside conventional allopathic medicine.
The programme was organised by the Unani Ayurvedic Graduate Doctors’ Association of Bangladesh (UAGDAB).
Among others, Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan, Director of Homeopathy and Indigenous Medicine at the Directorate General of Health Services, Dr Farida Yasmin, and Bangladesh Nationalist Cultural Alliance General Secretary Rafiqul Islam attended the event as special guests.
The programme was chaired by UAGDAB President Dr Mirza Lutfur Rahman Liton, while General Secretary Dr Aminul Bari Kanon delivered the welcome address and moderated the session.
