Published : 24 Dec 2024, 04:01 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 12:24 PM
The BCS Health Cadre Association has rejected a recommendation by the Public Administration Reform Commission to abolish the health cadre.
The group, representing 35,000 members, warned that if the health cadre is abolished, no cadre service will remain in Bangladesh.
In a press conference at the National Press Club on Monday, the association’s spokesperson Md Neyamat Hossain expressed strong opposition to the commission’s proposal, calling it a "one-sided reform suggestion”.
The press conference, organised to protest the proposal, also included demands for the cancellation of all quotas for the position of deputy secretary.
Neyamat, also the association’s convener, along with Tania Nasrin, the general secretary, read a written statement outlining their position.
They said they had learned the Public Administration Reform Commission plans to exclude both the BCS General Education Cadre and the BCS Health Cadre from the cadre structure, which they firmly rejected.
The commission’s chief Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury labelled the inclusion of health and education in the cadre system as “irrational” at a meeting in Dhaka on Tuesday.
He argued that these are specialist sectors, and his commission is recommending their exclusion, even suggesting the formation of separate commissions for education and health similar to the Judicial Service Commission.
In response to Muyeed's statement, Tania said at the press conference: "We appreciate the reform initiatives. However, any reform proposal made without consulting health cadres or driven by ill intentions will not be accepted."
A journalist asked about the potential issues with a separate commission for health officials.
In response, Md Mofizur Rahman, coordinator of the Inter-Cadre Discrimination Eradication Council, expressed concerns about the lack of clarity regarding financial management, policy decisions, and operational independence of such a commission.
“Let the Public Administration Reform Commission focus on public administration reforms. The Health Reform Commission should focus on health reforms. If the health cadre service is abolished, no cadre service will exist in the country,” he added.
In protest against the possible recommendations, officials from 25 different cadres will go on a one-hour work stoppage at 11am on Tuesday, said Mofizur, adding, However, doctors in emergency services will not participate.
A human chain will also be held outside all offices on Thursday from 11am to 12pm, and a rally will take place in Dhaka on Jan 4.
