Nearly 33,000 posts for doctors, nurses and other health workers now remain vacant across the country’s public healthcare sector, according to the statistics placed by Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain in Parliament on Monday.

He placed the statistics, while replying to a starred question from lawmaker Sabikun Nahar in the House.

According to the data, 9,407 of the 41,806 approved posts for doctors and 4,577 of the 49,879 approved posts for nurses are currently vacant in the public hospitals.

Besides, 18,947 posts of four types of frontline health workers (FWA, FWV, CHCP and HA) out of 65,230 approved posts are now vacant in the public hospitals across the country.

The minister said the large-scale recruitment would be carried out as quickly as possible to strengthen healthcare services and fill longstanding staff shortages.

As part of filling the vacant posts, the recruitment of 4,113 assistant surgeons through the four BCS examinations – 45th, 46th, 47th and 50th--are underway, he said.

Of them, the government would recruit 450 assistant surgeons through the 45th Bangladesh Civil Service examination, 1,682 through the 46th BCS, 1,331 through the 47th BCS and 650 through the 50th BCS examination.

In line with the government’s election manifesto, the Minister said 100,000 new health workers would be recruited as quickly as possible to expand healthcare services and fill vacant posts across the sector.