The Finance Minister has proposed lump allocation of Tk. 10,000 crore in the budget for the fiscal year 2020-21 to deal with the deadly corona.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presented the budget in the Jatiyo Sangsad on Thursday (June 11). In his proposed budget speech, he said, we have undertaken extensive activities for the development of the health sector. At present special activities in the health sector worth Tk.5500 crore is under implementation. The government will do everything possible to deal with this pandemic. For the next financial year, I am proposing to allocate a total of Tk. 10,000 crore to meet any emergency demand to address Covid-19.
The proposed budget also stated that the National Preparedness and Response Plan has been formulated and implemented to protect public life by ensuring medical care against Covid-19. Specialized isolation units have been set up in hospitals and health centers in each district and upazilla. Covid-19 dedicated hospitals have been set up and started for the treatment of corona patients in every district town including 14 hospitals centrally in the capital. So far, 55 laboratories have been set up to diagnose corona and various government healthcare facilities are being transformed into modern and improved service providers.
We have allocated Tk. 529 crore in the health sector on an emergency basis for this purpose, he said. We have taken initiatives to provide additional allocations, incentives and compensation in the health sector for the personal protection required for service providers in response to Covid-19. A total of Tk. 650 crore has been allocated to compensate the officers of various departments for the virus and death caused by the virus while maintaining social distance in the fight against corona and as honorarium for the doctors, nurses and health workers engaged in corona treatment.
The finance minister said 2,000 doctors and 1,000 nurses have been appointed on an emergency basis to ensure medical services for patients infected with the virus to deal with the Covid-19 situation. Through outsourcing, 386 medical technologists, 2,654 lab attendants and other health workers have been recruited on an emergency basis. Besides, a total of 3,000 new posts including 1,200 medical technologists, 1,650 medical technicians and 150 cardiographers have been created in the revenue sector.