The government has taken an initiative to launch health insurance for government employees and social health insurance for garment workers, Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said yesterday. The insurance schemes are part of the Healthcare Financing Strategy 2012, which has been prepared already, he told the parliament.Meanwhile, a total of 1,667 pharmacies and factories were fined by mobile courts from January 2015 to March 2016 on various charges, including having no drug licence, selling and producing adulterated and banned medicines, according to Nasim.Twelve factories, 47 pharmacies and two warehouses were sealed off by the mobile courts during the period.In response to another scripted question, Nasim said his ministry is now working on drafting a private medical service law for updating ‘The Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Laboratories (Regulation) Ordinance 1982’.The government also plans to construct another 500 community clinics across the country, Nasim said.Of the clinics, 300 will be built with financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
