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admin 8 Aug 2026 , 10:24 AM Print Edition
Online Desk : Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today said beneficiaries of fascism remain active in the state, politics, governance and administration, and are attempting to destabilise the country’s power and energy sector by spreading misleading information and creating confusion.
“Those who benefited from fascism are not sitting idle. This group is quite active in various ways to destabilise the country’s energy and power sector. They are spreading misleading information about the sector,” he said.
The Prime Minister made the remarks while addressing a doctors’ rally organised by the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) to mark its 37th founding anniversary at LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad complex this morning.
He was accompanied by his wife and Vice Chairman of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation, Dr Zubaida Rahman.
Tarique Rahman said unplanned projects and decisions taken by previous governments had placed the country’s power and energy sector in a vulnerable position, and that the present government was working to protect the people and the country from their consequences.
“The government is not denying that people are currently facing crises in electricity, gas and fuel. But the country, its people and the government are now paying for those unplanned schemes that were designed to provide special benefits to certain quarters,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the government had inherited a fragile situation and had already begun taking measures to address the multifaceted challenges.
“We have already started taking various steps to overcome the multifaceted crises,” he said, adding that plans were being formulated to gradually bring people out of the gas, electricity and fuel crises.
Earlier, Tarique Rahman and Dr Zubaida Rahman planted neem and arjun saplings on the premises of LD Hall. They later formally inaugurated the doctors’ rally by hoisting the national and party flags and releasing balloons and pigeons.
DAB leaders and doctors from different parts of the country attended the gathering. DAB President Professor Dr Harun Al Rashid presided over the programme.
BNP Secretary General and LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain and DAB Secretary General Dr Md Zahirul Islam Shakil, among others, addressed the programme.
Referring to a quote attributed to American inventor and businessman Thomas Alva Edison, Tarique Rahman said the doctors of the future would focus not only on prescribing medicines but also on educating patients about physical exercise, balanced diets and the causes and prevention of diseases.
“The present government’s health policy is closely aligned with this approach,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the government believed in the principle that prevention was better than cure, stressing the importance of taking precautions before diseases develop rather than relying solely on treatment afterward.
He said the government had decided to recruit 100,000 new health workers across the country to raise public awareness about primary healthcare.
“Doctors must take the lead in providing proper training to those health workers,” he said.
Tarique Rahman said several proposals had been submitted on behalf of doctors to make the country’s healthcare system and medical services more effective, accessible and people-oriented.
The proposals include recruiting 5,000 doctors through a special BCS examination as soon as possible, raising the age limit for doctors entering government service from 32 to 34 years, and increasing the retirement age of doctors from 61 to 65.
Other proposals include enacting a Health Services Protection Act to safeguard both doctors and patients, introducing special allowances and incentives for doctors serving in upazilas and remote areas, and establishing a specific and equitable pay structure for more than 100,000 doctors working in the private sector.
The proposals also call for specialised hospitals at divisional, district and upazila levels so that advanced medical services are not concentrated only in Dhaka.
The Prime Minister said the proposals were reasonable and that the government had already begun implementing plans to establish specialised hospitals outside the capital, including dedicated facilities for children.
“The other proposals will also be positively examined and considered in phases,” he said.
Speaking about the role of professionals in politics, Tarique Rahman said there had been considerable debate over whether students and professionals should participate in politics and, if so, to what extent.
“I believe that in a democratic state, where political decisions influence almost every aspect of life, it is not unreasonable for students, teachers and professionals to remain politically organised or politically aware according to their respective ideologies,” he said.
However, he cautioned that political involvement should not interfere with professional responsibilities.
“Everyone needs to remain cautious so that excessive political involvement does not interfere with the discharge of their professional responsibilities. It is now time to bring about qualitative changes in politics by going beyond traditional political practices,” he added.
The Prime Minister said the government had inherited a fragile state, a weak economy, a divided administration and vulnerable education and healthcare systems, and was working to overcome these challenges.
He said the government had begun implementing practical plans to make the education, health and energy sectors more self-reliant and sustainable.
“For the first time, the government has made the second-highest allocation in the national budget for the health sector,” he said.
Tarique Rahman said the government planned to gradually increase health expenditure to 5 percent of GDP over the next five years.
“We have also initiated work to introduce e-health cards at the earliest, while a decision has been taken to upgrade every upazila hospital into a 101-bed facility,” he said.
He, however, stressed that infrastructure alone would not ensure better healthcare unless doctors remained committed to their profession and served patients with dedication.
Tarique Rahman acknowledged that doctors face various challenges and limitations while performing their duties, but said cases of unintentional negligence or laxity could contribute to public distrust in doctors and the healthcare system as a whole.
Such incidents, he said, could also raise questions about the government’s overall performance.
“People expect doctors to play a more responsible and humane role,” the Prime Minister said.
“Let us all work together to build a doctor-friendly Bangladesh where every citizen will receive quality healthcare and no one will have to go abroad for better treatment.”
Prime Minister’s Adviser Ismail Zabihullah, State Minister for Health Dr M A Muhit and senior officials of the Prime Minister’s Office were present at the programme.
