Bangladesh needs to increase budgetary allocation for health in order to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDG) of health and wellbeing, despite corruption and leakage in the sector, experts at a dialogue observed on Tuesday.
Hit by a dearth of health workforce and healthcare facilities, the country has a shortage of at least 0.1 million doctors and at least 0.8 million health care providers, they informed the dialogue styled 'Community Clinic in Implementing SDGs and Universal Health Coverage'.
The experts presented a data that about 5.5 million people of the country are pushed into poverty in a year and about 14 per cent of its population spend more than 10 per cent of their income.
The country has 67 per cent out of pocket expenditure, which is highest in the South-East Asia Region (SEAR) countries followed by India 65 per cent and Nepal 60 per cent.
Public health expenditure here is 0.69 per cent of the GDP which is lower even than Bhutan 4.5 per cent, the Maldives 3.8 per cent and Timor-Leste 5.1 per cent.
Under the present circumstances, Bangladesh needs to increase budgetary allocation by at least 1.0 per cent in every fiscal year to attain the SDGs by 2030, they remarked.
Community Clinic Assistance Fund Trust organised the dialogue with health reporters at Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) in the city.
Professor Dr Habibe Millat, chairman of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) Advisory Group on Health, was present as the chief guest.
Former Health Adviser to Prime Minister Professor Dr Modasser Ali chaired the orientation programme on community clinic.
In his presentation, Dr Millat said global and regional trends in impoverishments result from high out of pocket health spending.
Globally, 122 million people are poor due to expenditure on health while in Bangladesh, 5.5 million people are pushed into poverty.
Also the impoverishment rate is one of the highest 3.4 per cent in Bangladesh which is only lower than India 4.2 per cent, he added.
The UHC coverage is also lowest 50 per cent in Bangladesh which is only one step ahead of Timor-Leste 49 per cent.
Bhutan has 72 per cent coverage, DPR Korea 78 per cent, India 64 per cent, Indonesia 61 per cent, the Maldives 72 percent, Nepal 62 per cent, Sri Lanka 62 per cent and Thailand 88 per cent coverage in UHC, Mr Millat added.
Referring to the declining trend in budgetary allocation in health sector for the past couple of years, he said political will is a big factor for the development of the health sector. The health budget allocation has come down to 0.69 per cent in recent times from the 1.2 per cent of GDP in 2010.
Prof Modasser Ali laid emphasis on various reform strategies to make the community clinics effectively functional and reach the healthcare to the doorsteps of people. He hinted that another 12,000 CC health workers will be recruited to provide better service.
The trust will start stock taking of the country's CCs shortly by visiting various districts, he added.
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