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Thursday | November 12, 2026 | Dhaka

‘BD committed to UHC by 2030’

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:05 AM, 12 November 2026

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has said Bangladesh is committed to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030, with plans to expand essential healthcare services across the country.

“The government is working to ensure essential healthcare services for every person in the country, irrespective of geographical location and social status,” he said.

The minister made the remarks while addressing the first BIMSTEC Health Ministers’ Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to a press release.

Health ministers, policymakers and experts from BIMSTEC member countries attended the conference.
Sakhawat said Bangladesh had made progress in several health indicators, including reducing maternal and neonatal mortality, maintaining its polio-free status and implementing immunisation programmes.

He said coverage of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme against cervical cancer had increased from 2 per cent to more than 85 per cent following the formation of the new government.

The government aims to raise the coverage to 100 per cent by the end of November this year, he added.

The minister also said the government, under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership, had doubled the health sector budget to 1.01 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). It plans to increase the allocation gradually to 5 per cent of GDP.

He said the government was prioritising preventive healthcare, expanding primary healthcare services and increasing public awareness.

Initiatives have been taken to establish primary healthcare centres in more than 4,600 unions, with multidisciplinary health workers, while upazila health complexes are being upgraded from 50 beds to 151 beds this year, he said.

Other initiatives include introducing solar power systems at major government healthcare facilities, setting up advanced medical waste management systems at 15 major hospitals and implementing the One Health approach.

Sakhawat also highlighted plans to introduce an integrated electronic health record system and unique e-Health IDs as part of the digital transformation of healthcare services.

To strengthen regional health security, he proposed establishing a BIMSTEC Regional Genetic Disease Observatory and Early Warning System.

He said cooperation among BIMSTEC members was essential to addressing non-communicable diseases, climate-related health risks, antimicrobial resistance and pandemics.

“Bangladesh is ready to work collectively with BIMSTEC member countries to address these challenges through mutual cooperation, innovation and the exchange of experiences,” he said.