88,909 doctors needed to meet WHO ratio

Bangladesh needs around 88,909 doctors to meet the World Health Organisation’s minimum doctor-population ratio, but only 30,311 doctors are currently working in government hospitals, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain told Parliament on Monday.

The country needs 0.50 doctors per 1,000 people to meet the WHO minimum standard, according to a government-funded study conducted in 2026, the minister said.

He was replying to a scripted question from ruling BNP lawmaker Md Jahander Ali Miha of Madaripur-2 during the question-and-answer session in Parliament.

The sitting began around 3:00pm with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, in the chair.
Sakhawat said government hospitals have 41,806 approved posts for doctors, of which 30,311 are currently filled, leaving 11,495 vacancies.

He said both international and national health workforce standards are considered when determining the required number of doctors in relation to the country’s population.

The minister also clarified that the total number of doctors in Bangladesh is not the same as the number working in the government healthcare system.

The government has already taken several recruitment initiatives to fill vacant positions and increase the number of doctors in public healthcare institutions, he said.

“A significant number of doctors have been recruited through the 44th and 48th special BCS examinations, while the recruitment of assistant surgeons through the 45th, 46th, 47th and 50th BCS examinations is also underway,” he said.

The government will continue the recruitment process to gradually fill vacant posts in government healthcare institutions, Sakhawat said.

He added that new posts would be created where necessary to ensure accessible, quality and people-friendly healthcare services for the country’s population.