Dhaka, May 5 -- Free primary healthcare and subsidized higher treatments and establishing referral hospitals are among the must-haves prescribed by a reform commission for upgrading the medical sector in Bangladesh that counts huge costs of foreign treatments.

Also suggested are enhancing to 15 per cent the budget allocation for the healthcare sector and the formation of a permanent health commission as a watchdog.

The commission, which submitted its report to Chief Adviser of the interim government Prof Muhammad Yunus on Monday, proposed restructuring institutional structures and gradual increase in budget allocation and financing, touching all areas for improving medical services to ensure health rights for all through making all conc...