Staff Reporter :
The out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare expenditure for Bangladeshi citizens rose to 73 percent in 2021, up from 68.5 percent in 2020, according to the Bangladesh National Health Account.
“Out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure is one of the most significant payment strategies for healthcare in Bangladesh, and the share of OOP expenditure has been increasing alarmingly,” Dr Abdur Razzaque Sarker, a research fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), stated during a programme on Monday.
The Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) organised the programme titled “Catastrophic Health Shock and Improvement in Bangladesh: Insights HIES-2022.”
Health Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen, researchers, physicians, and representatives of various organisations were present at the function, with BIDS Director General Dr Binayak Sen presiding.
While releasing the survey, Dr Razzaque noted, “54.40 percent of the cost was spent on purchasing medicines, 27.52 percent on diagnostic costs, 10.31 percent on consultation fees, and 7.77 percent on transport costs.”
“We observed that due to OOP payments, around 3.7 percent of the population, equivalent to 6.13 million people, were pushed below the national poverty line in 2022,” he added.
The Health Minister announced that the government will adopt a ‘Health Protection Act’ to bring discipline to the health sector.
“We are working to enact the health protection law to ensure the safety of doctors and patients,” he said.
Dr Samanta also mentioned that the government is working on introducing healthcare insurance to support people in accessing healthcare services. He stated that initiatives are being taken to equip
all public hospitals, including those at the district and upazila levels, with the required manpower and updated technology.
The Minister emphasised that doctors attached to upazila and district-level hospitals must provide treatment facilities to people living in rural areas.
Additionally, the government is considering the introduction of digital prescriptions to curb the rampant sale of medicines, as this practice should not continue for the sake of public health.