DHAKA, April 25, 2022 (BSS) - The 22nd founding anniversary of community clinic will be observed across the country tomorrow.

After assuming the office in 1996, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first community clinic at Patgati of Tungipara in Gopalganj district on April 26 in 2000.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave separate messages marking the founding anniversary of the community clinic. 

In his message, President Md Abdul Hamid said, "Community clinic is one of the ten special initiatives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the United Nations and other international organizations have highly praised this initiative as these clinics have been playing a significant role in reaching integrated health and family planning services at the doorsteps of rural people."

He said the government has taken multifaceted steps to bring healthcare to the doorsteps of the people and to ensure primary health care at the grassroots level, community health care providers are currently delivering health, family welfare and nutrition services to the doorsteps of marginalized people through about 14,127 community clinics across the country.

In order to strengthen and make the activities of community clinics sustainable, the government has formed the 'Community Clinic Health Support Trust' in 2018, he added.

He said that the role of community clinics at the grassroots level is very important in addressing the health risks of the poor. 

Community clinics played very praiseworthy role in complying with hygiene and grassroots awareness, especially in dealing with the ongoing corona epidemic and vaccination, he added.

The president hoped that the government, development partners, various community and support groups will be more proactive in the coming days so that all the community clinics in the country can provide quality healthcare to the rural poor.

He wished the overall success of the community clinic activities in the days to come.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the greatest Bengali of all time, the father of the nation, introduced the concept of community clinic to reach primary health care at the grassroots level of the newly independent country. 

"In just three and a half year, Bangabandhu built health infrastructure at the sub-divisional and thana level to ensure health care at the doorsteps of the common people," the premier added.

In an effort to take the dream of the Father of the Nation one step further, she said at the beginning of the 1996-2001 term of the Awami League led government, the then government decided to set up a total of 18,000 community clinics for every 6,000 people across the country. 

"In continuation of that, on April 26, 2000, I established the country's first 'Gimadanga Community Clinic' in Patgati Union, Tungipara Upazila, Gopalganj, the birthplace of the Father of the Nation," she continued.

She also said that Bangladesh received international awards such as MDG Award, South-South Award and Vaccine Hero Award by Gavi in recognition of the success achieved in the health sector.

Terming community clinic as a public welfare organization, she called upon all to extend their helping hands in the sustainable development of this organization.

Like last year, this year the public needs to be made aware of the importance of taking the COVID-19 vaccine and adhering to the rules and regulations in health care through community-based services and information technology-based publicity campaigns without public gathering due to the ongoing epidemic, she added.

"I hope that we will be able to build a Golden Bangla as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu," she added.