Bangladesh seeks Japan's support to improve country’s healthcare system

Bangladesh has sought financial support from Japan, and global agencies for the development of healthcare systems for non-communicable diseases (NCD) along with communicable diseases as currently, about 80% of the total deaths in the country are due to NCDs.

"Japan, the World Bank, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) will hopefully play a stronger role in improving the health sector of a densely populated country like Bangladesh," Health Minister Zahid Maleque said while addressing an international conference titled International Symposium, Advancing the Global health agenda from Nagasaki to the world" in Japan on Monday.

Senior representatives from the WHO and the governments of Bangladesh, Kenya, Cambodia, and Japan attended the conference.

At the conference, the delegations of different countries highlighted various healthcare programmes taken by their respective governments and healthcare-related organisations.

Highlighting the success of Bangladesh in providing vaccination, Minister Zahid Maleque said in 1984, the country's vaccination rate was only less than 2%. It stands at 92% in 2022.  At present, 92% of the country's children aged 12-13 years are free from tuberculosis, measles, polio, tetanus, and hepatitis.

Citing that there has been a huge development in the health sector of Bangladesh in the last 10 years, the minister said the Japanese government and the World Bank have played a major role in the development of Bangladesh's healthcare system.

The minister further said, "In the last three years, we have appointed about 70,000 new manpower, including 20,000 doctors and 30,000 nurses, to improve the quality of healthcare. 32 types of medicines are provided free of cost in 14,280 community clinics to improve the quality of primary health care in remote areas of the country. About 50,000 people are receiving health services in these clinics." 

Besides, 4,650 Union Health Service Centres are providing free medicines, consultations, and medical services during childbirth in remote areas, he elaborated. 

Mentioning that timely initiatives taken by the government made it possible to control the population growth rate of the country, Zahid Maleque said after the country's independence, every adult married woman gave birth to an average of 6.9 children. At present, every woman is giving birth to 2 children on average.

The health minister said the country is currently producing medicines worth 3.1 billion dollars. Bangladesh is earning foreign exchange by exporting these medicines to about 80 countries around the world, after meeting 97% needs of the country.

Secretary of Health Education and Family Welfare Division Azizur Rahman and Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services ABM Khurshid Alam also attended the event.