Negligence to health sector goes on

Healthcare, especially for those in rural areas, is likely to keep suffering as the proposed budget for fiscal year 2019-20 kept an allocation of only 5.63 percent of the total budget outlay.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal proposed an allocation of Tk29,464 crore for healthcare in FY2019-20, which is 1.02 percent of the GDP.

Allocations fluctuated between 4.3 percent and 6.8 percent of the budget outlays in the past 10 years.

The finance minister in his budget speech on Thursday said, “The government has been working with dedication and sincerity to develop a healthy and energetic population by ensuring quality health services, nutrition, affordable and quality family planning.”

The country’s health budget has always been much lower than the 15 percent budgetary allocation recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“We are frustrated with the proposed health budget for 2019-20 fiscal year as the allocation is not enough to cater to the needs of the health sector,” said Dr Ehteshamul Haque Chowdhury, secretary general of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA).

The budget allocation should also be utilised properly by ensuring strong monitoring and supervision, he said.

It is impossible to ensure medicare for all with this poor allocation, Prof Dr Kanak Kanti Barua, vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), told The Business Standard.

“Bangladesh needs more medical technologies for better treatment. So, the increase of budgetary allocation is a must now,” he said.