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Environmental & Public Health

Current Situation: In our country, almost all types of food are being adulterated, such as fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, etc. Consuming these adulterated foods is causing various illnesses among people. A monitoring team, including a magistrate and some police officers, occasionally inspects markets and temporarily fines businesses, prompting them to start selling unadulterated products. However, due to a lack of training, the adulteration prevention teams are not working effectively. Moreover, hotels and restaurants lack proper cleanliness. Restaurant owners, managers, and staff are not adequately trained. Problem: Adulterated food is severely damaging people's kidneys and livers. It is causing illnesses among tourists, and in some cases, leading to deaths. Unhygienic food from hotels and restaurants is making many people sick. Foreign tourists often express dissatisfaction with the food in Bangladesh, both in the country and abroad. As a result, the number of foreign tourists is decreasing, causing financial losses. Proposal: To make all foods free from adulteration and formalin, each district should have a designated office. This office will examine suspicious food samples collected from the general public through specified processes. All employees of this office must be trained. Moreover, every center, such as food-producing facilities, hotels, and restaurants, must maintain food safety and cleanliness standards, as certified by the office. After training, businesses and employees will be granted certificates for their operations. Officers with certification will oversee whether any market contains adulterated or formalin-laced items. Hotels, restaurants, and grocery shops will also be inspected to ensure that food hygiene and quality standards are maintained. Pharmaceutical shops will be inspected to check whether expired items are being sold or whether items are being sold as per prescriptions. If any individual or institution is found guilty during inspections, they will initially be fined and penalized. If they are found guilty again, they will face termination, their certificates will be revoked, and the license of the establishment will be canceled, with penalties ranging from 20 years of imprisonment to the death penalty. Untrained individuals or those without proper qualifications will not be allowed to work. Implementing exemplary punishments at workplaces will discourage the adulteration of food and the use of formalin. Any official proven guilty of corruption or bribery will also face termination and penalties ranging from 20 years of imprisonment to the death penalty. **Benefits:** All food items in the country will be free from adulteration and formalin. People will be protected from various diseases. Physical strength and productivity will increase, and future generations will enjoy good health. Meals at hotels and restaurants will become safe to consume. Prescribed items will be easily available for purchase. Trust among foreign tourists and expatriates in Bangladeshi food standards will grow.

Current Status: Most health centers in our country lack proper maintenance and disease diagnosis facilities. For instance, X-ray, MRI, and other such facilities are often non-functional, and patients remain deprived of these services. As a result, the patients who require these tests for proper diagnosis suffer from serious harm. Many doctors administer additional tests unnecessarily and prescribe medication from companies that offer incentives, but often these medicines fail to deliver effective results. Some doctors also provide incorrect prescriptions, which negatively impacts patients. Problem: Poor people are losing everything just to consult doctors. Many doctors, despite being able to diagnose the illness correctly, prescribe unnecessary tests, causing patients to struggle financially and often unable to afford those tests. As a result, doctors do not provide them with prescriptions. This issue is prevalent in both government and private hospitals. Many doctors prioritize profit over providing medical services. Consequently, the quality of healthcare in the country is deteriorating significantly, and the relationship between doctors and patients is being damaged. Benefits: A positive relationship will develop between doctors and patients. Patients will recover quickly. Poor and helpless patients will receive proper treatment. People's negative perceptions about doctors will diminish. The standard of healthcare in the country will improve. The nation's financial resources will not need to be spent on treatment abroad. Proposal: All government and private healthcare centers and diagnostic centers must maintain cleanliness and follow all types of protocols. Doctors should not recommend unnecessary tests apart from those required for accurate diagnosis. After examining the patient, doctors must prescribe medicines from reputed companies. There should be mutual respect and a good relationship between doctors and patients. Doctors should not discriminate between poor and wealthy patients. While conducting tests inside diagnostic centers, accompanying attendants of the patient should not be allowed. For any malpractice or negligence, the doctor must pay fines along with compensation to the patient. If the same mistake is repeated, their medical license must be revoked. It must be documented in the statutory constitution, and for implementation, each district will have a government office. Trained officials from this office will provide reports at least once a month based on inspections. The judiciary and legal departments will take necessary action based on the reports. In this regard, the officials must be properly appointed. Otherwise, they will face penalties and dismissal. Doctors must have mandatory insurance for patient compensation, and these insurances will operate in accordance with constitutional laws.