On 19 May 2025, ASTHA organised an event hosted at the office of Mohammad Mozammel Haque, DD-FP, Nilphamari, and brought together key government officials responsible for health service delivery at the district and sub-district levels. Among the attendees were Md. Abdul Mannan, Assistant Director for Family Planning (AD-FP); Mst. Roksana Begum, Assistant Director for Clinical Contraception (AD-CC); and Kazi Mohammad Atiquel Islam, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer (UH&FPO).
The session began with a presentation from the ASTHA team, providing an overview of Swisscontact’s work, the objectives of the ASTHA project, and the Community Paramedic programme. The presentation highlighted how Community Paramedics are currently delivering primary healthcare services—particularly antenatal (ANC) and postnatal (PNC) care—to pregnant women, new mothers, and children in remote areas, contributing to improved maternal and child health outcomes.
Following the presentation, participants engaged in an open dialogue, offering suggestions and acknowledging the significant impact of Community Paramedics in their respective localities. Officials recommended the establishment of a formal referral system and a robust monitoring and supervision mechanism to ensure accountability and quality of services offered by community Paramedics. These measures, they suggested, would help legitimise the role of Community Paramedics at the national level, inform policy development, and facilitate their institutionalisation within the public healthcare system.
In his remarks, Deputy Director Md. Mozammel Haque recognised the potential of Community Paramedics to address critical service gaps, particularly in maternal and child health, if supported through structured systems and policy alignment. He suggested aligning the services offered by Community Paramedics with existing government health initiatives to maximise impact and efficiency.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to advancing the integration of Community Paramedics into the national primary healthcare framework. The DD-FP affirmed that his office will support the Community Paramedics in their areas, and would explore ways to strengthen reporting systems, improve monitoring of paramedic activities, and support collaborative efforts to institutionalise their services.
The event served as a key milestone in ASTHA’s ongoing advocacy efforts, reinforcing the importance of partnerships between government and non-government actors to ensure accessible, quality and community-centred primary healthcare delivery across Bangladesh.