The Bangladesh Civil Service Health Cadre Association rejected the Public Administration Reform Commission’s reported suggestion yesterday to remove the health cadre from the civil service hierarchy.
At a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club, the organization cautioned that making such a decision without first consulting representatives of the health cadre could disrupt healthcare management and services.
“We strongly reject this unilateral proposal,” Umme Tania Nasrin, the association’s secretary general, said, representing 35,000 members.
“Drafting such recommendations without consultation demonstrates a lack of expertise in healthcare management.”
Convener Muhammad Neamot Hossain criticized the use of non-medical officials in health sector policymaking. “They have failed to modernize and scientificize healthcare with their outdated approach. It has turned into a bureaucratic, interest-driven system that serves the interests of ministers and officials rather than achieving its goals,” he said.
The association asserted that the exclusion of the health cadre would further impair the healthcare sector’s ability to serve the public interest.
Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, the head of the Public Administration Reform Commission, defended the plan on December 17 and called the civil service’s inclusion of health and education cadres “irrational.” He insisted that these should operate independently of the cadre system because they are specialized fields.
The association urged the government to reconsider the proposal to ensure a collaborative approach to reform.
