Photo: Collected

By Borun Kumar Das

DHAKA, Feb 11, 2025 (BSS) - The jobs of community health care providers (CHCPs), working in community clinics, will be included in the revenue sector from the next month (March).

"If everything goes well, the jobs of community health care providers (CHCPs) will be included in the revenue sector," President of the Community Clinic Health Assistance Trust and member of the Health Sector Reform Commission Dr Abu Muhammad Zakir Hossain told BSS.

CHCPs did not receive their salaries for eight consecutive months since June due to non-approval of the Operation Plan (OP). If they are included in the revenue sector, they will receive arrears of nine months.

Zakir Hossain said the interim government is going to take several initiatives regarding community clinics.

He said the clinic will not only treat diseases, it will work more on disease prevention and health promotion than providing treatment. Preparations have already started for the creation of a Community Clinic Health Assistance Trust Regulation, he added. 

He said that once this is finalized, CHCPs will be posted up to the upazila and district levels.

There are about 14,000 community clinics across the country. Twenty-two types of medicines are now being provided from these clinics. Some community clinics are also providing medicines for high blood pressure and diabetes. The government has a plan to provide medicines for high blood pressure and diabetes from all community clinics. 

A patient referral system will be launched from here. Two doctors will also sit in the community clinics for two days a week. They will see referral patients suffering from non-communicable diseases.

Community clinics will be strengthened to reduce pressure at the tertiary level. For this, all necessary initiatives are being planned. As part of that, the government is considering implementing the long-standing demand of CHCPs.

Abu Muhammad Zakir Hossain said that a list of 13,926 CHCPs has been sent to the Ministry of Finance. There is only one step left for their jobs to go under the revenue budget, he added.

He said the CHCPs earlier used to get the salary of the 14th grade. The Ministry of Finance has fixed it at the 16th grade. They will get the salary of the 16th grade if they are included in the revenue sector.

Stating that regulations for community clinics are being prepared, he said the law was passed on October 8, 2018.

The community clinic is open from 9am to 3pm, six days a week (Saturday to Thursday) except public holidays. Community Health Care Providers (CHCPs) remain present at the community clinic every working day.