People bear over 68pc of healthcare costs
Out-of-pocket payment accounts for about 68.8 percent of total health expenses in Bangladesh, said an analyst yesterday.
The government spends US $54 per capita for health, which is less than the WHO recommendation of US $88, added Prof Syed Abdul Hamid of Institute of Health Economics at University of Dhaka.
The other sources of health financing are -- general tax revenue (23 percent), NGO (two percent), development partners (seven percent), and others, including health insurance (one percent).
Hamid shared this information at the 1st Development Studies International Conference held at a city hotel yesterday. This event is jointly organised by the Development Studies department of Dhaka University and Daily Bonik Barta.
Prof Hamid said the annual government allocation for the health sector in FY 2022-2023 is around Tk 36,864 crore -- around 23 percent of total health expenditure.
The health allocation is 5.40 percent of the national budget, much lower than the 15 percent allocation recommended by WHO.
As households spend 68 percent of the total health spending, the total OOP expenditures are about Tk 107,386 crore, he said, adding that the government allocation would have to increase threefold to reach the goal of reducing OOP expenditures to 30 percent.
Prof Hamid said there is also a lack of quality private hospitals across the country, especially at the upazila and district levels.
He stressed the need for a robust community-based healthcare system focusing on preventive and promotional care, with community clinics as the primary point of contact.
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