Experts for hike in budget to curb deaths from NCDs

Staff Reporter :
Experts have issued a stark warning, stating that approximately 70 percent of deaths in Bangladesh are attributed to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), a concerning trend that demands immediate attention.

They have emphasised the necessity of increasing budget allocations to address the rising fatalities caused by NCDs, expressing concern over the inadequacy of funds currently allocated in the national budget.

This demand was voiced during a journalist workshop titled ‘Budget Allocation to Combat Non-Communicable Diseases: Bangladesh Perspective,’ held at BMA Bhavan in the capital on Monday.

The workshop, organised by PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) in collaboration with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), saw participation from 28 journalists representing print, electronic,
and online media outlets.

During the workshop, it was highlighted that major causes of death in Bangladesh include heart disease, stroke, cancer, kidney disease, respiratory system diseases, diabetes, and high blood pressure, among other non-communicable diseases, collectively responsible for 70 percent of total deaths.

However, the allocation of funds to address these diseases remains disproportionately low, accounting for only 4.2 percent of the total health budget.