170 new health centres planned to strengthen urban primary healthcare
The Expanding Access to Integrated Health Care for the Urban Population project will be implemented by the Directorate General of Health Services, with an estimated cost of Tk1,597 crore.
The government plans to establish 170 Urban Primary Health and Nutrition Centres, to be known as 'City Health Centres', across major city corporations, including Dhaka and Chattogram, in an effort to expand access to primary healthcare for urban residents.
The facilities are expected to be set up within the next three years under the proposed project, estimated to cost Tk1,597 crore.
The proposal has been sent to the Planning Commission for approval.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
According to the project document, the initiative will develop a hub-and-spoke network connecting the new centres with existing urban health facilities to ensure continuous, equitable and integrated care—particularly for low-income and slum communities.
Each centre will operate in two shifts to extend service hours and improve accessibility.
The project, titled Expanding Access to Integrated Health Care for the Urban Population (2025–2028), will be implemented by the Directorate General of Health Services under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with an estimated cost of Tk1,597 crore, including a World Bank (WB) contribution of Tk1,173 crore.
It sets out four additional targets to improve the quality and reach of urban health services.
It aims to strengthen the workforce by deploying sufficient healthcare professionals to ensure uninterrupted operations at each centre, guarantee at least 80% availability of essential medicines as per the National Essential Medicine List, and maintain full compliance with national WASH and medical waste management standards.
All centres will also be integrated into the DHIS2 digital platform for real-time data collection, monitoring and service improvement.
Public health expert Dr Abu Jamil Foisal said the project had been discussed for some time and, if implemented effectively, could meet the priority health needs of the urban poor.
"This initiative is very much needed—it is going to be an essential project," he told The Business Standard.
Addressing urban health gaps
Urban areas, which now house more than 40% of the country's population, face an acute shortage of structured primary healthcare services.
Currently, only 35 government outdoor dispensaries operate in major cities, including 17 in Dhaka North and South and nine in Chattogram, serving nearly 1.5 crore people.
This shortage has left most urban poor reliant on private or NGO-run services, pushing up out-of-pocket health costs and deepening inequalities.
While the rural health network is well established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, urban primary care largely falls under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives—resulting in fragmented governance and weak coordination between national and local levels.
Professor Dr Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said the initiative aims to bring primary healthcare closer to urban residents.
"Each ward will have one health centre operating in two shifts. These centres will provide tests for 12 to 14 types of diseases, offer essential medicines, and refer patients to specialised or medical college hospitals when needed," he said.
The new City Health Centres will provide promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services in line with the global primary healthcare vision set out in the Alma-Ata (1978) and Astana (2018) Declarations.
The project also focuses on climate-resilient infrastructure, digital health records and community-centred care, aligning with Bangladesh's goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
