Community clinic management

The move has surely been prompted by the lacklustre performance of the health sector in the rural areas, despite the fact that our community healthcare structure could be a role model for any developing country. But management of the community clinics, which could have served as the nucleus of primary healthcare, has been far from satisfactory. Many of the clinics have been reduced to sign-board entities.

It seems the plan is to infuse life into primary healthcare through bringing in NGOs and other community groups as management partners in running the clinics. The issue is a much talked-about one but was never acted upon in the past. The logic behind inviting NGOs to run the clinics is a sound one, since these are organisations having a working familiarity with the needs and problems of rural people.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

The plan also fits into the scheme of decentralisation and people's participation in important areas of public concern. The government will retain its position as provider of logistic and manpower support for the clinics. But one important aspect envisaged in the new plan is that special incentives will be given to the doctors by the managements of clinics. The doctors who now face charges of playing truant will find their assignments in clinics more lucrative. The new idea also opens up a wide array of other possibilities that can be explored to raise the quality of healthcare at the lowest level.

The investment that was made to build the primary healthcare structure was acclaimed by all concerned, but it failed to attain its main objective of providing regular and reliable healthcare to the masses. The idea that is being tried here might open new vistas for cooperation and interaction between the government and NGOs in other sectors as well.

All concerned should make sure that the new plan is implemented properly and that the people get the services they badly needed.