Speakers urge higher health funding to tackle hypertension among youths

Hypertension-related heart disease is a major cause of premature deaths in Bangladesh and worldwide, while the growing risk of hypertension and heart disease among young people is a growing concern, speakers said at a webinar yesterday (28 September).

The webinar, titled "Health Budget to Address Hypertension and Heart Disease Risk Among Young People: Bangladesh Perspective", was organised by research and advocacy organisation Progga (Knowledge for Progress), with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), ahead of World Heart Day 2026.

World Heart Day will be observed today (29 September) under the theme "Heart Disease Can Hide in Plain Sight: Don't Miss a Beat."

The speaker called for a significant portion of the increased health budget to be allocated to hypertension control, saying greater investment in prevention and treatment could help reduce premature deaths from heart disease.

Speakers said around 6.5 million people die prematurely from heart disease worldwide every year, with hypertension being one of its major causes.

In Bangladesh, heart disease accounts for approximately 34% of all deaths, they said.

Young hearts, growing risks: Why heart disease is no longer just an older person's problem

Around 283,800 people died from cardiovascular diseases in the country in 2024, with hypertension accounting for 52% of these deaths, according to figures presented at the webinar.

The speakers also highlighted the risk among younger people.

According to the Bangladesh NCD STEPS Survey 2018, around 12% of people aged 18-39 have hypertension.

Professor Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute said, "The increase in the health sector budget allocation from 5.3% to 7.4% in the current fiscal year was 'truly commendable'."

"Directing a notable portion of this extra allocation toward anti-hypertensive medicine will effectively lower the risk of hypertension-linked heart diseases in the country," he added.

Dr Md Maruf Haque Khan, assistant professor at the Department of Public Health and Informatics at Bangladesh Medical University, stressed the need to increase awareness of healthy dietary practices and lifestyles to reduce the risk of hypertension-related heart disease.

Sajjadur Rahman, deputy editor of The Business Standard, said extensive campaigns across mass media and social media platforms were needed to raise awareness among young people about the risks of hypertension-related heart disease.

Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh country lead of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, said non-communicable diseases account for 71% of all deaths in Bangladesh, while only 4.2% of the health budget is allocated to the sector.

"Funding must be increased to control hypertension and other non-communicable diseases," he said.

S M Nazer Hossain, vice-president of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), and Aminul Islam Sujan, consultant at Vital Strategies, also participated in the webinar as discussants.

The webinar was presided over by ABM Zubair, executive director of Progga, and moderated by Samiha Bintay Kamal, programme officer at Progga.

Participants from various professional backgrounds and regions of the country, along with representatives of youth organisations including the Bangladesh Medical Students' Society and Platform Doctors Foundation, attended the webinar.