Community paramedics training creating skilled workforce in rural primary healthcare
The Bangladeshi education system struggles to develop 21st century skills like critical thinking and problem-solving. Despite the annual influx of 2.5 million new entrants, up to 30% of youth are "not in education, employment, or training" (youth NEET) (IFC, 2021). Without academic and cognitive stimulation, these young students become more prone to frustration, anxiety, and depression and engage in anti-social behaviours like stealing, drug dealing, and abuse.
To engage the youth in the nation's economic activities, students must be skill-based. According to the Centre for Education Research, technical education participation rates range from 48-66% in developed countries, but only 14% in Bangladesh. The education minister has also called for half the country's students to take technical and vocational education.
Unemployment apart, Bangladesh's skilled labour shortage causes numerous other issues, including healthcare. The shortage of skilled medical personnel is a major public health issue. Bangladesh has made significant progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) despite limited resources. However, there is still a shortage of skilled healthcare professionals in suburban and rural areas, making quality healthcare challenging to come by.
Currently, unqualified providers, such as shamans, quacks, and pharmacists, are filling the shortage gap, affecting public health in general. These unqualified service providers are especially prevalent in rural areas. According to national statistics, Bangladesh has only 8.3 professional skilled health workers per 10,000 population, while the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommended statistic is 44.5 health professionals for every 10,000 people. With more than 100 million people living in rural areas, we need more than four and a half million skilled health workers to meet the nation's healthcare needs.
The Bangladeshi government established the Community Paramedic Training Programme to address this issue. In addition to providing quality primary healthcare services, this two-year program focuses on maternal and child health.
The case of Shampa (a fictitious name for anonymity), a girl from a remote village in Gangachara Upazila, Rangpur district, illustrates the many benefits of this national training. The training equipped Shampa with medical knowledge, customer service skills, and entrepreneurial abilities. Along with a new curriculum, Shampa and her peers used 3D modelling and Virtual Reality tools to learn. They could learn subjects like anatomy with precision thanks to advanced technology. This prepared Shampa as a qualified healthcare professional.
Community Paramedics training is the need of the time. With policy support from the appropriate authorities, young Bangladeshis will be inspired to take up this noble profession creating a pool of skilled professionals and paving the way to improved rural healthcare while generating the much sought-after employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for the bulging youth population of our country.
Bipasha Hossain is Senior a Technical Advisor, and Nowsheen Sharmila is a Policy and Communications Officer, ASTHA project, at Swisscontact Bangladesh.
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