The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Saturday came down heavily on doctors and asked them to quit jobs if they do not attend their duties in villages.
Whorush: 2 sites by this AdSense ID 
'If you want to be in service you must perform your duty. It cannot be acceptable that you will draw your salary but won't do your duty months after months,' she said.
The prime minister was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 19th Bangladesh Medical Convention and Special AGM of the Bangladesh Medical Association at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.
The prime minister also censured the mindset of the doctors for not paying their income tax. 'This is really disappointing,' she said, adding: 'I don't understand what benefit they get by not paying income tax.'
Hasina said if the tax was paid it went to the government exchequer and the money was used for the welfare of all.
She said not only doctors all would have to shun the mentality of tax evasion.
Hasina requested eligible citizens to pay their income taxes for larger interests of the nation.
Without mentioning any name, she said not only commoners, internationally renowned citizens of the country also do not hesitate to dodge taxes.
'We have also seen how internationally renowned persons also misuse the donations they got from abroad and evade taxes,' the prime minister said.
Hasina said none should dodge taxes as ultimately nation suffers from such practice.
The prime minister cited example of Begum Fazilatunnesa Hospital Project for which Bangabandhu Memorial Trust has paid taxes worth Tk 1.89 crore.
'If we wish, we would have tax exemption. But, we didn't,' she said.
On doctors' negligence to practise in villages, Hasina said when she talked to MPs or local people; it was a common allegation that doctors were very indifferent to their duties in remote hospitals.
'Major part of your academic expenses is met by people's taxes. Your aim in life should be serving the poor people in rural areas1,' she said.
The prime minister was also critical of the physicians for their 'attitude' towards certain remarks made by BMA secretary general Md Sharfuddin Ahmed at the function.
Sharfuddin requested young doctors to render free service at least for one day a week in their respective villages, but the doctors present at the function did not appreciated it.
'Your silence has shocked me….I did not expect such behaviour from you,' Hasina said.
The prime minister requested the doctors to give their best efforts to ensure quality health services for the common people.
She said the government would appoint 14,000 health assistants and over 500 doctors soon while 4,331 doctors, 1,747 nurses and 6,391 health assistants have already been appointed.
The prime minister assured that scarcity of teachers at government medical colleges would shortly be met.
The prime minister requested senior physicians to conduct both fundamental and practical research on medical science.
Health minister AFM Ruhal Haq, state minister for health Majibur Rahman Fakir, PM's adviser Syed Mudasser Ali and BMA president Mahmdud Hasan addressed the function.
The prime minister at the function also distributed BMA Award, 2011 among professor Mazhar Ali Kadri (posthumous), professor Syeda Firoza Begum (posthumous), Mujibur Rahman (posthumous), National professor Nurul Islam, professor Md Sohrab Ali, professor Rashid-e-Habib, professor Kazi Shahidul Alam and professor Pran Gopal Datta.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
No comments:
Post a Comment