The government plans to overhaul the country’s neglected healthcare sector and bring discipline to the medical system, Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain said on Sunday.He made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists after inspecting the Maheshpur and Kotchandpur Upazila Health Complexes in Jhenaidah.The minister said the government was working to restore discipline in the healthcare sector, which he described as having been neglected during the previous Awami League government.Under the prime minister’s directives, all upazila health complexes across the country will be transformed into modern nine-storey facilities within the next three years, he said.The existing 50-bed upazila health complexes will also be upgraded to 151-bed facilities in three phases, according to the minister.Sakhawat alleged that the country’s healthcare sector suffered serious neglect over the past 17 years, alongside widespread irregularities and a lack of accountability.He also alleged that corruption took place in the procurement and distribution of medicines. Government-supplied medicines, anti-rabies vaccines, anti-snake venom and other emergency injections were allegedly sold outside hospitals instead of being provided to patients.The minister further alleged that patients often did not receive prescribed medicines and that some doctors and nurses behaved improperly with patients. In some areas, doctors also failed to attend hospitals regularly, he said.“We have received reports of such irregularities from various hospitals since taking responsibility,” Sakhawat said.The government is now working on a long-term plan to address shortages of doctors and medicines and make healthcare services more accessible, he said.“We want to bring the country’s healthcare sector and medical services under a new system of discipline. We will not compromise on implementing our plans to restore public confidence in government healthcare,” the minister said.Under the proposed 151-bed upazila health complexes, dedicated 25-bed wards will be established for pregnant women and 20-bed wards for children.The government also plans to introduce services such as kidney dialysis at these facilities, Sakhawat said.“If these plans are implemented, the country’s healthcare sector and the way medical services are delivered will undergo a major transformation,” he added.