Communityparticipation and local leadership are essential for improving the quality and accessibility of primary healthcare services. With this goal in mind, a bi-monthly meeting of the UH & FWC Management Committee was recently held at the M. Baliatali Union Health & Family Welfare Center under BargunaSadar Upazila.
The meeting was organized by SERAC-Bangladesh, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and technically supported by Plan International Bangladesh.
The meeting was chaired by the Panel Chairman of M. Baliatali Union Parishad, bringing together management committee members, health service providers, local representatives, and project representatives. At the beginning of the meeting, the center’s Family Planning Inspector (FPI) presented an overview of the overall service activities of the health center. The presentation also highlighted the importance of the Adolescent-Friendly Health Services (AFHS) Corner) and discussed the existing challenges related to service delivery.
The participants emphasized the importance of holding regular Management Committee meetings to strengthen coordination, identify challenges, and improve the quality of services. In this regard, SERAC-Bangladesh encouraged the FPI and the Chair of the Management Committee to take the necessary initiatives to ensure regular meetings and effective follow-up of decisions.
As part of strengthening the committee structure and ensuring broader community representation, SERAC-Bangladesh proposed restructuring the Management Committee by including adolescents and young people, persons with disabilities, Imams, and other relevant community representatives. Such inclusion would help ensure that the needs and perspectives of different groups are reflected in health service planning and monitoring.
During the meeting, participants actively shared their opinions and experiences. They emphasized the need to increase community awareness and encourage adolescents and community members to access services from the Adolescent-Friendly Health Services Corner. Participants also expressed their commitment to working collectively to improve service utilization, community engagement, and the overall quality of healthcare services.
Improving access to the health center was also discussed during the meeting. A local Ward Member committed to taking steps to pave the road from the UH & FWC to the main road within the next six months. Participants also assured that necessary communication would be made with the relevant higher authorities to address infrastructure-related challenges and ensure the availability of essential medicines, equipment, and other required supplies.
In his remarks, the Panel Chairman emphasized the importance of regular Management Committee meetings for improving the quality of services at the health center. He agreed with the proposal to include adolescents in the committee and assured necessary support from the Union Parishad’s allocated budget for essential equipment and other required materials.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment among local representatives, health service providers, young people, and community stakeholders to work together to strengthen the UH & FWC and ensure more accessible, inclusive, and adolescent-friendlyhealth services for the community.
Among others present at the meeting were SERAC-Bangladesh’s Space to Lead Project Volunteer Peer Leaders (VPLs) Nazmul Hasan and Farzana Akter, and Project Coordinator Md. Shafiullah Lemon.