Program of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in Digital Health

One of the popular election mandates of the present Government is the establishment of the Vision for Digital Bangladesh by 2021. Towards this aim, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has started to establish program for Digital Health in Bangladesh. The Honorable Minister for Health & Family Welfare Professor A F M Ruhal Haque is specially interested to carry forward the idea of digital health care in the ministry’s health reform agenda.

Significant progress has already been made. Program for proving 24-hour broadband Internet connections to all important health points, as low as up to upazila level, has been completed by April 2009. About 800 health points have been connected now with wireless Internet. Prior to this, computers have been supplied to these places. The points where Internet connections have been given include all upazila hospitals or health offices, offices of the civil surgeons in all districts, offices of all directors of health in the divisional head quarters, all medical colleges and health teaching-training institutions, all government owned hospitals, all port health offices, offices of the senior officials of the Directorate of Health Services and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The Internet devices are wireless Internet Edge modems which are tiny sticks with plug and play capability. The modems can be detached and re-plugged to any computer. The computerization as well as Internet presence have already speeded up the information transmission process between health offices contributing to speeding up the decision making process. Further contributions are being expected with increasing skills of the health staffs in using computers and Internet. Training has also been provided and refreshers’ training is an in-built strategy.

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has also established “Mobile Phone Health Care” based in each upazila. Each of the upazila health offices has been given a mobile phone. The mobile phone number has been circulated among the citizens living in the catchments area. The local people can call the mobile phone any time during the 24 hours for seeking medical advice from the doctors working in the hospital. Doctors have been given responsibility on shifting basis to answer the phone calls. There are many occasions where people may not need to come to hospital, or they may require urgent information for making health decision. The mobile phone health care has created opportunity for such people-friendly options. This specialized health care has been started from 01 May 2009.