The health ministry has recently instructed all public and semi-public hospitals across the country to provide free medical services to freedom fighters and their family members.
In an emergency circular on January 28, the ministry issued directives for each hospital to keep a dedicated cabin reserved for freedom fighters and their relatives, as well as providing them all available medicines and examination facilities free-of-cost.
The instructions also called for hospital authorities to arrange ambulance transport for the freedom fighters who were unable to come to the hospital because of their illness.
The circular, signed by the ministry’s Senior Assistant Secretary Nurunnahar, said it was a moral obligation to ensure the medical services for the freedom fighters, as their devotion and sacrifice paved the way for Bangladesh’s independence.
Sources said Health Minister Mohammed Nasim also instructed ministry officials to monitor and supervise whether the instructions were being followed or not.
Seeking anonymity, a senior health ministry official said no government could prepare a genuine list of freedom fighters since the country’s independence in 1971.
Different governments have so far referred to different figures of freedom fighters, with former state minister for liberation war affairs Tajul Islam telling the immediate past parliament that the country had 125,000 living freedom fighters.
Monthly honorariums and quotas in government services are among some of the government benefits enjoyed by the country’s freedom fighters and their children.
Several senior officials of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said freedom fighters are denied easy access to public and semi-public healthcare services, despite having played a significant role in earning the country its independence.
They said most freedom fighters were suffering from ageing complications and various non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, diseases of the liver, heart etc.
Many freedom fighters do not have enough money to avail necessary high-level medical attention, and are forced to face disappointment when they seek free healthcare from public hospitals.
A separate circular was reportedly issued earlier to ensure healthcare for freedom fighters.
The Dhaka Tribune has learned that the Dhaka Medical College Hospital authorities keep one cabin (two single beds) reserved for freedom fighters; but a recommendation letter from the Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust is required to receive treatment at the cabin.
However, the hospital provides free medical examination if the freedom fighters can show papers to confirm their identity.
Dr Musfiqur Rahman, deputy director of the DMCH, told the Dhaka Tribune that cabins could not be provided for all freedom fighters, as there were only a limited number of beds compared to the number of freedom fighters.
Other hospitals also have similar facilities, but freedom fighters or their family members allegedly fail to avail them easily.
