The government plans to secure a $500 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to modernize its healthcare system under the ‘Support to Health Care Improvement Program’ from 2024 to 2029. Initial funding will be used in Rangpur and Khulna for piloting healthcare improvements. Key focuses include upgrading primary healthcare services, tackling non-communicable diseases, enhancing health security, and improving mental health care. Challenges highlighted by the ADB include substandard service in 88% of community clinics, significant shortages of healthcare personnel, and critical deficiencies in health education. Over the past three decades, Bangladesh has made progress in life expectancy, fertility rates, and infant mortality but faces ongoing health challenges such as high rates of dengue infection and mental illness. The ADB stresses the need to prioritize elderly healthcare, combat discrimination against women, and address climate change-related health risks.
Source for more details:
