Average monthly health spending has tripled in Bangladesh, families under financial pressure from medical costs up to 92 percent: state minister at Dhaka seminar

Average monthly health spending by people in Bangladesh has tripled. At the same time, the share of families falling under financial pressure while bearing the cost of healthcare has risen from 52 percent in 2005 to 92 percent in 2022.

State Minister for Health Dr M A Muhit presented these figures on Wednesday (28 October) as chief guest at a seminar organised by the Health Economics Unit at a hotel in Bijoy Nagar in the capital. Citing research presented at the seminar, he described the situation as worrying.

The state minister said the present government is committed at the highest level to firmly suppressing all irregularities and corruption that took place in the health sector in the past.

He said that to ensure ordinary people can receive quality treatment without falling into financial crisis, it is essential to ensure proper use of allocations in the health sector, accountability and quality of service.

Alongside the rise in people's spending on healthcare, the state minister also noted a growing crisis of trust in government hospitals. Dependence on unlicensed and untrained pharmacies is also increasing, he said.

In his words, that dependence is creating serious risks such as antimicrobial resistance, where germs become resistant to medicines.

The state minister also outlined government plans to take healthcare to people's doorsteps. He said steps have been taken to modernise upazila health complexes to ensure quality primary healthcare for everyone, rich and poor alike.

There is also a plan to recruit more than 100,000 new health workers at union level, he added.

Steps have also been taken to introduce free or low-cost treatment at divisional level to reduce the cost of long-term and expensive cancer treatment, the state minister said.

He also stressed strengthening the relevant regulatory bodies and bringing them under a legal framework to control the quality of pharmacies, clinics and diagnostic centres in order to ensure quality healthcare.

The seminar, chaired by Health Economics Unit Director General Dr Md Enamul Haque, was also addressed by Directorate General of Drug Administration Director General Alamgir Hossain and World Health Organization acting country representative Dr Rajesh Narwal, among others.