Staff Reporter :
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for a staggering 70 per cent of total deaths in the country, yet the health sector receives a mere 4.2 per cent of its budget for addressing these critical health issues.
Experts are urging the government to boost funding to implement effective measures against diseases like hypertension, which poses a severe public health threat as it is a silent killer.
Recent research reveals that for every one taka invested in testing and treating hypertension, there is an impressive return of Tk 18 in overall health benefits.
Key recommendations were presented at a workshop for journalists titled “Hypertension Control in Bangladesh: Progress and Way Forward,” held at BMA Bhaban in the capital on Monday, organized by the research and advocacy organisation PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) with support from Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI).
A study published in the British Medical Journal further highlights that managing hypertension in Bangladesh can cost less than 10 US dollars per patient annually, making a compelling case for increased investment in this area, the organiser said.
Despite the government’s prior initiatives aimed at controlling NCDs, experts stress that without adequate funding, these efforts cannot reach their full potential.
The government of Bangladesh has expressed its commitment to achieving the targets for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
However, hypertension poses a significant challenge to these objectives. Ensuring access to treatment and essential medicines in all government hospitals and primary healthcare centers could provide a cost-effective solution to address non-communicable diseases, the experts recommended.
The decision to provide hypertension medication through community clinics has been hailed as a transformative step, but its success hinges on sufficient budget support.
The organizers praised the government’s 2023 initiative to include Amlodipine 5mg for hypertension and Metformin 500mg for diabetes, stating that this move will significantly help address hypertension at the grassroots level.
“Ensuring the availability of anti-hypertensive medicine at the grassroots level along with increased allocation to effectively address hypertension can prevent heart attacks and strokes, ultimately saving lives,” Dr. Md. Quiume Talukder, Line Director (CBHC), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.
Stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Non-Communicable Disease Control Program (NCDC), Community-Based Health Care (CBHC), and other relevant organizations, must collaborate to secure the necessary funding, he added.
He also noted that under the NDC programme of the Health Directorate, the government has been conducting a hypertension screening, treatment, and follow-up initiative since 2018.
This programme is currently active at NCD centers in 182 Upazila health complexes and four Sadar Hospitals across 23 districts.
“If this model is expanded nationwide, we could significantly reduce the prevalence of hypertension and save many lives from heart attacks, strokes, and kidney dysfunction at a low cost,” he added.
“We have already taken the initiative to provide anti-hypertensive medicines from the Community Clinics of two-thirds of the Upazilas across the country,” Quiume Talukder added.
Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead of GHAI, Rashada Akter Shimul, Senior News Editor of Ekhon TV and ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA were also present at the event as discussants. PROGGA’s Director Md. Shahedul Alam and Coordinator Sadia Galiba Prova delivered presentations on hypertension control.