It is heartening news that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will distribute smart health cards among 30,000 poor families of four upazilas. This will be the first phase of what we hope, a countrywide endeavour, to provide modern healthcare services to the poorest of the poor, free of cost.

Healthcare has become one of the most expensive components of wellbeing for poor people who have to bear the same expenditure as the more privileged sections of society. With their meagre incomes that barely allow them to meet their food and rent, healthcare has become increasingly inaccessible for most poor people. The result is that many poor people just forgo going to the doctor or buying medicine even when they are severely ill, resulting in prolonged ill-health and even premature death. 

The health cards that will be distributed by the ministry through an insurance company, will give medical services for fifty specified complicated diseases from district and upazilla public hospitals. According to the Ministry, a list has been prepared of who will be eligible for these cards and they include families living below the poverty level, who have no houses, land or permanent source of income.

The criteria for eligibility is fairly clear and we hope that the ministry ensures that only those who fulfill the prerequisites are given the cards and there is no scope for foul play. We also must add that it is not enough to give free healthcare to the poor if the quality of such services is not up to the mark. Public hospitals and health complexes often suffer from lack of enough doctors, medicine and medical equipment. We hope that the government, along with this laudable effort, will ensure that healthcare standards are improved.