NCDs cause 71pc of deaths
Experts have called for increased allocation to the health sector to reduce the growing risks of hypertension and cardiovascular disease among young people in Bangladesh.
They made the call at a virtual discussion held on Monday, 28 September, ahead of World Heart Day.
Speakers at the webinar said cardiovascular diseases claim around 6.5 million lives globally every year, with uncontrolled hypertension being one of the major contributing factors.
In Bangladesh, cardiovascular diseases account for around 34percent of all deaths. In 2024, an estimated 283,800 people died from cardiovascular-related illnesses, with hypertension responsible for 52percent of those deaths, according to information shared at the webinar.
The Bangladesh NCD STEPS Survey 2018 also shows that around 12percent of people aged between 18 and 39 suffer from hypertension.
Professor Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, said the allocation for the health sector in the current budget had increased from 5.3percent to 7.4percent.
He said a significant portion of the additional allocation should be used to ensure the supply of hypertension medicines, which could help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Highlighting what he described as an imbalance in budget allocation, Global Health Advocacy Incubator Bangladesh Country Lead Muhammad Ruhul Quddus said non-communicable diseases account for 71percent of all deaths in Bangladesh, while only 4.2percent of the health budget is allocated to the sector.
He called for an immediate increase in funding for the prevention and control of hypertension and other non-communicable diseases.
Dr Md Maruf Haque Khan, assistant professor at the Department of Public Health and Informatics at Bangladesh Medical University, stressed the need to raise public awareness about healthy diets and improved lifestyles to reduce the risk of hypertension-related cardiovascular disease.
Sajjadur Rahman, deputy editor of The Business Standard, emphasised the importance of extensive awareness campaigns through mainstream and social media, particularly targeting young people.
World Heart Day will be observed on Tuesday under the theme, “Heart Disease Can Hide in Plain Sight: Don’t Miss a Beat.”
Research and advocacy organisation PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) organised the webinar, titled “Health Budget for Tackling Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease Risks Among Youth: Bangladesh Perspective,” with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator.
The webinar was chaired by PROGGA Executive Director ABM Zubair and moderated by Programme Officer Samiha Binte Kamal.
SM Nazer Hossain, vice-president of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh, also spoke at the event. Representatives of the Bangladesh Medical Students’ Society, Platform Doctors Foundation and people from different professions and regions of the country also took part.
