Former adviser to the caretaker government Hossain Zillur Rahman said Tuesday healthcare services in Bangladesh are still out of reach due to high expense though the country achieved significant improvement in health sector.
He also said awareness building on healthy lifestyle should start from school level to develop healthy citizens and it should not be limited in organising rallies on World Health Day only.
Mr Rahman's comment came at a pre-conference press briefing on the international conference titled 'Realising UHC (Universal Health Coverage) Goals: Bangladesh Realities and Way Forward' to be held from April 9 to April 11 at Hotel Radisson in the city.
Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) will organise the conference with the support of Rockefeller Foundation, World Bank (WB) and in partnership with Bangladesh Diabetic Association, Ganoshasthya Kendra, Brac-ICDDR,B UHC Centre, Centre for Prevention and Research and Association for Medical Education.
In the press briefing, Hossain Zillur said out-of-pocket (OOP) expense is about 66 per cent in the country which is much higher than the global norm of 35 per cent.
Referring to the flourishing healthcare infrastructure in the country, Hossain Zillur said the urban poor cannot access to these facilities due to the high expense.
"In Bangladesh about four million people remain in poverty risk due to expensive healthcare services," said the PPRC chairman.
He said Bangladesh has been successful in round 1 that is primary healthcare. But the country should focus on secondary or tertiary healthcare services in 2015 taking into account the rising trend of non-communicable diseases.
Healthcare services should not be the only issue in discussions on health rather focus should be on preventive side of health so that people do not need to receive treatment, Mr Rahman, also convener of the conference organising committee, added.
"The problems of health sector are no longer the issues of doctors only. The challenges in the sector cannot be tackled without coordinated efforts by social scientists, policymakers, economists and other stakeholders," said the noted economist.
The conference will discuss on the healthcare facilities, access, expense, quality, affordability, health workforce, health insurance and lifestyle in Bangladesh. Besides, case studies of two developing countries namely Thailand and Brazil, who have successfully implemented UHC, will be presented. A total of 32 scientific papers will be presented in four technical sessions during the three-day conference.
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Healthcare services still out of reach due to high expense : Zillur
FE Report | Published: April 08, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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