Staff Reporter :
A proposal by the Health Sector Reform Commission to abolish the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) has triggered serious concern among its officers and employees. Under the proposal, a new body titled the Directorate General of Primary Health Care and Public Health will be formed, and family planning activities will be placed under one of its wings. Officials of the DGFP fear that such a move could create chaos in service delivery at the field level and jeopardize the country’s long-standing achievements in population control and public health.
Officials claim that the decision was taken without any consultation or input from stakeholders. As a result, uncertainty and anxiety have spread among nearly 55,000 officers and employees of the DGFP.
According to DGFP sources, on 14 September, during a meeting at the directorate, the Special Assistant to the Ministry of Health, Professor Dr. Md. Sayedur Rahman, presented the recommendations of the Health Sector Reform Commission.
It was stated that seven existing institutions currently responsible for healthcare services, education, and research would be abolished and replaced by three new directorates. One of these would be dedicated to primary healthcare, preventive services, and public health. Since this announcement, concern has been steadily growing among DGFP officials and staff.
The Bangladesh Civil Service (Family Planning) Association and several other professional and employee organizations have submitted memorandums to the Health Adviser on two occasions. However, they allege that the Ministry of Health has yet to provide any clear explanation.
Meanwhile, the reform commission’s report notes that the DGFP is currently headed by a Director General. If the institution is abolished, service delivery would be overseen by an Additional Director General, and the directorate would be brought under the Health Services Division. At present, it operates under the Health Education and Family Welfare Division.
In their memorandum, DGFP officials emphasized that since 1965, the family planning program has achieved internationally recognized success in population control, reduction of maternal and child mortality, and overall health improvement. They warned that reintegration without proper studies or consultations could have negative consequences.
They also recalled that between 1998 and 2003, health and family planning services were merged at the upazila and lower levels, which led to administrative chaos, declining service quality, and severe coordination problems in the field. To address the situation, the two departments were separated again on 1 January 2004, a decision widely considered effective at the time.
Currently, around 55,000 personnel work under the Family Planning Cadre. This includes 23,500 Family Welfare Assistants, 4,500 Family Planning Inspectors, over 6,000 Family Welfare Visitors, and approximately 2,500 Sub-Assistant Community Medical Officers. These field workers are responsible for door-to-door distribution of contraceptives, antenatal and postnatal care, adolescent reproductive health services, immunization programs (EPI), operation of satellite clinics, and prevention of child marriage.
Due to the continuity of their work, Bangladesh has earned international recognition as a role model in reducing maternal and child mortality. Stakeholders fear that abolishing the DGFP would adversely affect the delivery of these critical services.
Professor Syed Abdul Hamid of the Institute of Health Economics at the University of Dhaka stated that keeping the health services and family planning directorates separate has increased coordination gaps and duplication of work. According to him, the division has reduced overall effectiveness, and merging the two could be justified-provided that scopes of work are clearly defined beforehand.
However, field-level workers strongly disagree. Md. Sohel Hossain, Convener of the Bangladesh Family Planning Inspectors Association, said that effective coordination is possible even if the DGFP remains separate. He warned that abolishing such an important institution without discussion or research would be a “self-destructive decision” that 55,000 officers and employees would not accept.
Nesar Uddin, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Family Planning Directorate Employees Welfare Association, noted that the DGFP has been working officially since 1965 to manage population growth. He stressed that family planning activities should be strengthened further for the country’s overall development. Any future move to merge the DGFP with a new directorate should carefully consider past bitter experiences.
Abul Kashem, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Civil Service (Family Planning) Association, said that despite its limited geographical size, Bangladesh still has a large population, making expansion of family planning programs essential. He highlighted that due to the success of family planning initiatives, the total fertility rate (TFR) declined from 6.3 in 1975 to 2.15 in 2024. However, over the past two years, shortages in contraceptive supplies have caused the TFR to rise to 2.4 in 2025, while the contraceptive prevalence rate fell from 64% to 58.5%.
He further warned that if the DGFP is abolished or weakened, the population control system could collapse, leading to higher birth rates, increased maternal and child mortality, and setbacks to women’s health and empowerment.
When contacted, Professor Dr. Md. Sayedur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Ministry of Health, said that the main objective of the proposed merger is to reduce administrative complexity and ensure coordinated service delivery. “In short,” he said, “the goal is to ensure better coordination of activities.”
