Views / Opinions


Making medicines affordable

Making medicines affordable

Like any other developing country, out-of-pocket expenditures for healthcare eat up a significant portion of family income in Bangladesh. A study done by the Health Economics Unit (HEU) under the Health Service Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare found that in Bangladesh, the mone

Will black marketing of railway tickets come to an end?

Will black marketing of railway tickets come to an end?

There was a time when black marketing of train and bus tickets was a rampant routine practice, particularly before the two Muslim religious festivals, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha and Bangalee Hindus' Durga Puja. With technological advancement and introduction of online ticketing system along with i

Chaos as footpaths plundered for profit

Chaos as footpaths plundered for profit

Dhaka is currently witnessing a massive surge in frenzied public movement. Roads and side streets are teeming with noisy honking traffic, with a tsunami of commuters rushing in every direction causing chaos and commotion everywhere. Travelling by any mode of transport has become an uphill task as t

Factual understanding of the Independence Day

Factual understanding of the Independence Day

When Bangladesh emerged as the newest country in South Asia around five and half decades ago, it was surprising for many around the world. At the same time, it was also a beacon of hope for many poor nations struggling for their self-determination and independent identities. The turbulent period of

Non-discriminating culex vectors!

Non-discriminating culex vectors!

Mosquitoes do not discriminate. Given an opportunity, they would bite everyone, be he or she a VIP (very important person) or an ordinary man. The vectors demonstrated their non-discriminatory trait during a DNCC drive to destroy their nests in thick layers of water hyacinth floating on the Rajuk K

Ramadan traffic needs to be disciplined

Ramadan traffic needs to be disciplined

Traffic congestion in Dhaka, one of the most populous cities in the world, is not a new phenomenon. But people from all walks of life expect better traffic management in the month of Ramadan. Visibly, every year, special measures are announced by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to make the sit

No improvement in aid utilization

No improvement in aid utilization

Successive governments have been adept at courting foreign aid for development projects. Yet they have consistently failed to increase the rate of implementation of the same. The size of unutilised funds has now reached a figure that is no longer possible to ignore. According to a report published

Securing our oceangoing vessels

Securing our oceangoing vessels

The maritime vessel named MV Abdullah that was hijacked by Somali pirates on Tuesday last week from the high seas in the Indian Ocean is learnt to have been changing its position keeping close to the Somali coast. The crew members of the ship reportedly are safe and that the pirates have been allow

Sexual aberration at its worst

Sexual aberration at its worst

Sex crimes have all the making of an epidemic in the country. Not a single day passes without a report on sexual predatoriness from some corner of this land that emerged independent at the cost of the ultimate dishonour of about 300,000 women and girls alongside the sacrifice of 3.0 million lives.

Kidney patients in dire need of more treatment facilities

Kidney patients in dire need of more treatment facilities

Kidney disease is a growing concern worldwide, and Bangladesh is no exception. Last Thursday, Bangladesh featured among the countries that participated in the World Kidney Day awareness programme. Its theme 'Kidney Health for All - Advancing Equitable Access to Care and Optimal Medication Practice'

How Ramadan's spirit is undermined

How Ramadan's spirit is undermined

Like devotees in the rest of the world, the Muslims in Bangladesh have also started observing the holy month of Ramadan amidst high inflation. Sudden price spurt here is, however, not unusual in this month. Previous years' newspaper headlines such as 'Commodity prices surge ahead of Ramadan,' 'Rama

Merger of banks doesn't solve the problem

Merger of banks doesn't solve the problem

Some developments are surely brewing in the country's banking sector, as the rot has gone too deep to ignore anymore. Loan scams and plundering of bank money are among major issues that feature in public discussions. A few policymakers, who until recently have consciously avoided any mention of un