Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain on Saturday warned that officials found guilty of negligence or corruption would be dismissed from service instead of being transferred, pledging a tougher stance against malpractice in the health sector.

"Wherever negligence or corruption is found, there will be dismissal, not transfer. I do not believe in transfers as punishment," he said while addressing the 31st annual general meeting of the Narsingdi Diabetic Association in Narsingdi.

The minister said the government would show "zero tolerance" toward bribery and corruption, urging health workers to perform their duties with honesty and integrity.

"Corruption and bribery must stop. We will not tolerate these practices," he said.

Announcing a series of healthcare reforms, Hossain said the government plans to establish 50-bed dialysis centers at every medical college hospital across the country to improve treatment for kidney patients.

He also said community clinics at the union level would be renovated and expanded with the recruitment of additional doctors and healthcare workers, while family planning centers would also be upgraded.

"We want to begin a revolution in the health sector this year," the minister said, adding that new initiatives were being launched to improve public healthcare services and strengthen Bangladesh's standing in the global health sector.

Describing the current national budget as an "ideal budget," Hossain said its objectives would be implemented transparently and free from corruption.

The event was chaired by Narsingdi Deputy Commissioner and Narsingdi Diabetic Association President Israt Jahan Keya and inaugurated by lawmaker Khairul Kabir Khokon. Members of parliament Manjur Elahi and Ashraf Uddin Bakul, along with District Council Chairman Tofazzal Hossain, also attended the program.