Upazila health complexes, community clinics face shortage of antihypertensive drugs: Health experts
Call to increase budget for hypertension, other NCDs
Highlights
- The shortage is due to a halt in relevant sector programme
- Procurement of antihypertensive medications likely in June
- Hypertension amon NCDs account for 71% of deaths in country
- Allocation for NCDs comprises 4.2% of the health budget
- Sustainable funding stressed for availability of antihypertensive medicines
Upazila health complexes and some community clinics are currently facing a shortage of antihypertensive drugs as the programme funded by multiple lenders "HPNSP" under which the medications are procured remains halted, according to health experts.
To address the shortage, antihypertensive medications will be purchased next June with government funding.
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Dr Muhammad Habibur Rahman, line director of the Community Based Health Care (CBHC) programme, disclosed the matter at a webinar titled "Hypertension Control for Public Health Protection: The Bangladesh Perspective," organised by the advocacy and research organisation PROGGA on Wednesday (9 April), in observance of World Health Day.
He explained that the service-oriented programmes of the Ministry of Health operate under the Health, Population, and Nutrition Sector Programme (HPNSP).
The latest phase of the programme, "5th HPNSP", has yet to be approved in 10 months since the expiry of the 4th HPNSP in June last year.
"As a result, there is currently a shortage of hypertension medication in upazila health complexes and some community clinics," said Dr Rahman.
He also highlighted the need for sustainable funding to ensure the uninterrupted availability of antihypertensive medicines throughout the year, as well as strengthening the Primary Health Care wing.
Call to increase budget for NCDs
At the webinar, it was informed that non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including hypertension, account for 71% of total deaths in Bangladesh, yet the budgetary allocation to combat NCDs comprises only 4.2% of the total health budget.
It is imperative to increase the allocation for the sector in the FY 2025-26 budget, health experts said.
According to a 2024 World Health Organisation (WHO) report, one of Bangladesh's primary goals for addressing NCDs is to ensure that 80% of health facilities – both public and private – are equipped with essential medicines necessary for treating significant NCDs by 2025.
The report also reveals that despite Bangladesh's commitment to combat NCDs, allocations and fund utilisation in this regard have yet to match the mandate.
Currently, there is a provision to offer hypertension patients with free medications to combat its prevalence, at community clinics and upazila health complexes.
Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), Dr Abu Jamil Faisel, president-elect of the Public Health Association of Bangladesh, and Dr Malay Kanti Mridha, professor of BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health of BRAC University, also spoke at the webinar.
It was chaired by PROGGA's Executive Director ABM Zubair and moderated by the organisation's Coordinator Sadia Galiba Prova.
