Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday accused beneficiaries of fascism of remaining active in the state, politics, governance and administration, alleging that they were attempting to destabilise the country’s power and energy sector by spreading misleading information.

“Those who benefited from fascism are not sitting idle. This group is quite active to destabilise the country’s energy and power sector in various ways,” he said while addressing a doctors’ rally marking the 37th founding anniversary of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) at LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad complex.

The Prime Minister said previous governments had undertaken unplanned projects and decisions that put the power and energy sector at risk. The current government, he said, was working to protect the country and its people from the consequences.

He acknowledged that people were currently facing electricity, gas and fuel shortages, saying the government had inherited a fragile situation and was taking steps to gradually overcome the crises.

Tarique also outlined several initiatives in the health sector, including plans to recruit 100,000 new health workers nationwide to increase awareness of primary healthcare. He urged doctors to provide proper training to the workers.

He said the government was considering proposals to recruit 5,000 doctors through a special BCS examination, raise the entry age for government service for doctors from 32 to 34, and increase the retirement age from 61 to 65.

Other proposals include a Health Services Protection Act, special incentives for doctors serving in remote and upazila areas, a specific pay structure for private-sector doctors, and the establishment of specialised hospitals at divisional, district and upazila levels.

The Prime Minister said the government had already begun work to establish specialised hospitals outside Dhaka, including children’s hospitals, and that the other proposals would be considered gradually.

Tarique said the government had inherited a weak economy, divided administration and fragile education and healthcare systems. Despite these challenges, he said, practical plans were being implemented to make the education, health and energy sectors more sustainable and self-reliant.

He said the government planned to gradually increase health-sector allocation to 5 percent of GDP over the next five years, introduce e-health cards and upgrade every upazila hospital to a 101-bed facility.

Emphasising the importance of professional responsibility, Tarique said infrastructure alone would not improve healthcare unless doctors remained dedicated to their profession and served patients with humanity.

“People expect doctors to play a more responsible and humane role,” he said, calling for collective efforts to build a Bangladesh where citizens receive quality healthcare without having to travel abroad for treatment.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by his wife and Ziaur Rahman Foundation Vice Chairman Dr Zubaida Rahman. They earlier planted neem and arjun saplings on the LD Hall premises and formally inaugurated the rally by hoisting the national and party flags and releasing balloons and pigeons.

DAB President Professor Dr Harun Al Rashid chaired the programme. BNP Secretary General and LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain and DAB Secretary General Dr Md Zahirul Islam Shakil, among others, attended the event.