Highlights:
To expand healthcare services, the government is going to undertake a series of mega projects, including modernising the grassroots health system, establishing five specialised children's hospitals, introducing e-Health Cards, and recruitment of 100,000 health workers, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain told parliament today (13 July).
"To support the initiatives, the government has allocated a record Tk69,409 crore to the health sector in FY2026-27 budget and plans to gradually raise health spending to 5% of GDP over the next five years," the minister said during the parliamentary question-answer session.
He said the health sector has received the highest priority in the FY2026-27 budget and policy framework, with the government shifting from a treatment-centred healthcare model to a prevention-centred one.
The allocation is nearly double the previous fiscal year's Tk35,477 crore and is equivalent to 1.02% of GDP, marking the first step toward the government's target of increasing health spending to 5% of GDP, he added.
The minister said a Primary Healthcare Unit will be established in every union and every urban ward, modelled on the United Kingdom's General Practitioner (GP) system, with each unit overseeing three community clinics.
Upazila hospitals to be 101-bed
The health minister said all upazila hospitals will be upgraded to 101-bed facilities with 24-hour emergency, inpatient and outpatient services, alongside modern pathology laboratories. Separate posts for male and female physiotherapists have also been created at every upazila hospital for the first time.
To ease pressure on Dhaka, district hospitals will be modernised to provide cancer and kidney disease treatment, while upazila health complexes will be linked with district hospitals to form an integrated Secondary Healthcare Unit, he added.
e-Health Card, specialised children's hospitals
As part of the universal health coverage programme, the government is introducing an e-Health Card integrated with a comprehensive patient management and referral system. Under a Tk162 crore pilot project, 25 lakh cards have already been distributed in Khulna, Noakhali, Bogura, Sirajganj and Narsingdi.
The minister said five specialised 200-bed children's hospitals will begin operations within the next six months in Khulna, Barishal, Rangpur, Rajshahi and Cumilla divisions.
The facilities will include intensive care units (ICUs) and central air-conditioning systems. A national ambulance pool and an emergency medical services network will also be established.
Govt to appoint 5,000 doctors, 1 lakh healthcare workers
To address the shortage of healthcare professionals, the government is expediting the recruitment of 5,000 MBBS doctors and plans to appoint 100,000 healthcare workers, about 80% of them women. Over the next three to four years, it also plans to recruit 25,000 midwives, with two posted in every union.
The minister said a competency-based MBBS curriculum will be introduced by 2030, alongside the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into medical education and training.
He added that the government is updating the National Essential Medicines List and drafting a new drug policy to reduce healthcare costs. It has also decided to establish specialised medical technology parks and offer low-interest financing to promote domestic production of medical equipment, including syringes, ventilators, X-ray machines and ECG machines.
Over 92% of people with mental disorders receive no treatment
More than 92% of adults and children/adolescents living with mental disorders in Bangladesh receive no mental healthcare services, the health minister told parliament.
Highlighting the country's acute mental healthcare crisis, he said Bangladesh has only 1.17 mental health workers per 100,000 people.
Replying to a question from Cumilla-9 MP Md Abul Kalam, the minister Bangladesh's mental healthcare capacity remains severely inadequate for its large population, with only about 350 registered psychiatrists in the public sector.
To address the gap, the minister said the government is strengthening mental health services through legal reforms, institutional expansion and primary healthcare integration.
Drive against counterfeit medicines to continue
The government will continue nationwide drives to eliminate the production and supply of counterfeit, adulterated and substandard medicines and take strict legal action against those involved, the health minister told parliament, reports BSS.
Replying to a question from Chapainawabganj-3 MP Md Nurul Islam, he said the government has attached the highest priority to preventing the production, import, storage, distribution and sale of fake and substandard medicines across the country.
Parliament / Healthcare / mega projects / Series / Health Minister Sakhawat Hossain
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