We have a health-care facility located near our enterprises. Our internal staff, which is comprised of physicians, nurses, and a medical team, is in charge of running the facilities. Employees and their families are welcome to attend the healthcare center at any time in the event of an emergency and get free medical care.
In Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector, which employs 4 million people, access to healthcare services and goods is a crucial issue, especially for women, who account for around 80 percent of the workforce. Basic healthcare facilities and staff, such as nurses and physicians, are required by Bangladeshi legislation for factories employing more than 300 people, according to the government. Workplace healthcare services can assist in filling up the gaps in Bangladesh’s underdeveloped health-care system. The RMG industry accounts for 75% of Bangladesh’s export revenue; hence strengthening clinic operations and nurse competence would help to boost the country’s economy by contributing to a more inclusive system and increasing productivity and profitability.
The majority of the time, a worker would have to contact top management in order to acquire financial assistance for medical care on a need-to-know basis in the past. In today’s world, our factory is one of the most successful instances of RMG firms in Bangladesh that has institutionalized health care support for its employees in accordance with its policy.
Bangladeshi employees, particularly female workers, tend to have limited education since they leave school early to help support their families, and some are even illiterate, as is the case in many other developing countries. Thus, they have a low level of understanding regarding health and safety issues. They are malnourished at a higher rate than men at every stage of life, but this is especially noticeable in the case of adolescent girls and pregnant women. We came to the realization that we might avert similar catastrophes and enhance the health of our employees by unifying and amplifying our organization-wide efforts in order to achieve meaningful and sustainable success in both areas.
When workers require external medical advice or assistance, we have two doctors on staff who can offer them with guidance. These services are given by associated hospitals and diagnostic facilities, as well as by hospitals and diagnostic centers of the employees’ choosing, as described above. United Costume Limited also takes steps to educate and counsel employees on a variety of health-related topics, including sexual and reproductive health, children’s health, the use of potable drinking water and sanitary latrines, as well as basic health-related topics such as nutrition and nutrition counseling. We feel that personal cleanliness plays a vital role in one’s overall health, which is why we have implemented adequate hygiene control procedures across our supply chain and in our factories, among other things. Additionally, our efforts to educate employees about their own health have been effective in assisting them in living a healthy lifestyle and lowering the percentage of absence due to illness.
In addition to providing free basic health check-ups, the factory also provides hospitalization support, which includes doctor’s fees, medicine, diagnostic tests, surgery fees, and ambulance support up to Tk. 15,000 per hospitalization. Our health care services are covered by the factory up to Tk. 25,000 per worker or per worker’s family member per year. Outpatient general and specialized consultation, diagnosis, and medication are also included in the plan. Doctor’s consultations are limited to Tk. 1,200 per year, with a maximum of three consultations allowed, medication is limited to Tk. 700 per year, and diagnostic tests are limited to Tk. 1,500 per year.
Medical expenditures spent during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as nursing care for the infant while the mother is in the hospital, as well as fees charged by physicians or certified nurse midwives, are covered under this benefit. Workers are also given the option of deducting the remaining non-covered amount from their compensation and remitting it to the employer in agreed-upon installments.
Employers benefit from investing in workers’ health because it improves their quality of life by preventing and managing chronic as well as acute health disorders. Workers benefit from increased productivity, which lowers their costs. Furthermore, this has helped to secure our compliance with international standards, as well as the faith of our foreign clients in our procedures and processes.
United Costume Ltd. is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for all employees, taking into consideration any potential hazards posed by the specific operations that are carried out. We are committed to providing a work environment that is both safe and healthy for our employees and their families as well. We will make every effort to ensure that health and safety concerns are addressed as a bare minimum. Every employee will receive thorough training in health and safety procedures, as well as access to and use of proper protective clothing and equipment. We will provide housing that complies with local laws and regulations in order to protect the health, safety, and security of our employees.
A safe and healthy workplace environment must be provided by the company, which should also take steps to prevent any potential health and safety incidents, as well as work-related injury or illness from occurring. We strive to provide and maintain our plant and equipment in a safe condition, to maintain healthy work practices for the use, handling, storing, and transporting of materials and products, to provide information, instruction, training, and supervision to ensure the health and safety of employees and others at the workplace, and to provide rehabilitation and aid to recover for any injured employee. All of the employees and members of the staff are eligible for free medical care.
Overall, the establishment of a health care center in our factory has proven to be a beneficial action for all of the stakeholders involved in the company, and as part of our strategy, we intend to increase the number of people working in the health care center and to ensure that all of our employees, as well as their children, receive optimal nutrition.