Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the government is providing various incentives to the nursing sector in an effort to make this profession more attractive.

She said this when President of the University of Kochi, Japan Dr Hiroko Minami met her at her office.

PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting, reports UNB.

He said the Prime Minister said the nursing profession in Bangladesh used to be neglected in the past, but her government has taken various programmes to improve this noble profession to make it more attractive so that people could feel encouraged to join this profession.

She mentioned that the government has already given scope to the private sector to get involved in developing the profession.

Hasina said the government is promoting the private sector hospitals to develop this profession for improving the service and creating job opportunities.

About the tremendous development in Bangladesh’s health sector during Awami League government, she said maternal and child mortality rates here have come down significantly due to her government’s pragmatic steps.

She said the government is establishing two new medical universities in Chittagong and Rajshahi for the development of health services in the country.

Dr Hiroko Minami said Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has a plan to involve in improving the nursing sector through assisting in ‘project for the capacity building of nursing services’.

He mentioned that there will be a graduation course in nursing in this project.

PM’s Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi, Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Masato Watanabe and JICA chief representative Mikio Hataeda were, among others, present at the meeting.