Dhaka, Dec. 24 -- A proposal by the Health Sector Reform Commission to abolish the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) has triggered serious concern among its officers and employees. Under the proposal, a new body titled the Directorate General of Primary Health Care and Public Health will be formed, and family planning activities will be placed under one of its wings. Officials of the DGFP fear that such a move could create chaos in service delivery at the field level and jeopardize the country's long-standing achievements in population control and public health.
Officials claim that the decision was taken without any consultation or input from stakeholders. As a result, uncertainty and anxiety have spread among nearly 55,000 of...