Hypertension control rate falls slightly as free drugs supply becomes irregular
The health directorate and the National Heart Foundation have jointly been implementing a programme since 2018 to help disadvantaged people control hypertension by providing free of cost medication
The hypertension control rate among patients in 54 upazilas across the country, who have been receiving medication at free of cost under a government programme, has fallen by 6 percentage points to 54% over the past six months thanks to irregular drug supply, officials told The Business Standard.
The Non-Communicable Disease Control Department at the health directorate and the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh have jointly been implementing the project, titled "Hypertension Control Programme", since 2018 to help disadvantaged people control hypertension.
"Some 1.51 lakh hypertension patients are currently registered to get free medication services under the project. Our observation says if drugs are not supplied on time, patients fail to keep their hypertension under control and it has been reflected in the latest data," said Dr Shamim Zubair, deputy project manager for the Hypertension Control Program.
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State-run Essential Drugs is responsible to supply medicine for the programme. "It, however, failed to provide medicine to some upazilas in the past few months due to its complex policies. The company processes shipments only when it gets demand letters from all 54 upazilas. But the problem is that demands of individual upazilas are different and so are their drug-seeking time," he added and called for revisiting policies of Essential Drugs.
"Due to irregular supply of drugs from the government, patients had to buy these on their own. But many failed to do so owing to financial hardship," Dr Shamim Zubair told TBS, after a discussion in the capital yesterday.
Research and advocacy organisation PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), in collaboration with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, organised the event, styled "Hypertension Situation in Bangladesh and Way Forward", at the BMA Bhaban to mark World Hypertension Day to be observed on Wednesday with the theme "Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer".
At the event, Professor Robed Amin, director of the health directorate, said the demand for hypertension drugs is high now. "Any break in such drug administration is unexpected. But it is happening now."
On the reasons behind the situation, he explained that it takes three to four months for approval of an operational plan to supply medicine for the programme. Besides, Essential Drugs has just six vehicles for drug transportation.
"It is difficult to run this programme by purchasing drugs with operational plans. Some permanent arrangements should be made. We are trying to manage the drugs directly under the government revenue," he added.
According to the World Health Organization, non-communicable diseases were responsible for 70% of deaths in the country in 2022. Of them 30% account for cardiovascular diseases. One of the leading causes of heart disease is hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. It is a condition which generally has no symptoms and if left untreated, it can lead to heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and blindness.
The hypertension situation in Bangladesh is very alarming as one in every five adults here suffers from the disease, speakers said. Availability of hypertension medicines must be ensured at the community clinic levels to make hypertension treatment accessible for all, they suggested and called for increased budgetary allocation to this programme.
