Health minister Zahid Maleque said on Wednesday that they are now focusing on the non-communicable diseases as there are increasing alarmingly in the country.
“We were not able to deal with non-communicable diseases during the Covid-19 pandemic, and by this time these diseases have increased a lot,” he said at a program organised by the DGHS in the city on the occasion of National Health Day 2022.
The minister said non-communicable diseases are the causes of more than 67 percent deaths in the country.
Healthcare services are not provided only in the governmental centres, half of the services are provided by the private sector, he said adding private hospitals have also played a significant role in battling Covid-19.
About vaccination drive against Covid, the minister said about 75 percent of the targeted population in the country have been vaccinated.
Eight to 10 crore people are yet to receive the booster dose and the booster dose campaign will start from June 4, said the minister.
“We will be more secure from the virus with booster dose.”
Besides, the drive against illegal clinics and private hospitals and diagnostic centers is going on, said the minister.
Zahid Maleque said around 11,000 diagnostic centers are working in Bangladesh and questions have been raised about the quality of many diagnostic centers. “We are keeping an eye on them so that people are not deceived.”