The cost of treatment is increasing

People in Bangladesh are struggling to meet their medical expenses. According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO),

Every year more than 100 million people are falling below the poverty line to meet medical expenses.

The pressure on the common man is increasing as the state's financial security for health is weakened. The World Health Organization (WHO) has given this information to Bangladesh in its report reviewing the progress of UN member states in achieving universal health protection and achieving sustainable development goals. They have released 'Update 2019' information on 11 countries in the southeast region of the company. According to the World Health Organization report, the situation in Bangladesh is not good in both the service situation and financial security. Of the 11 countries in Southeast Asia, Bangladesh has a better position than just East Timor. The World Health Organization says that universal health protection means that every citizen will receive quality services at the time of need. No one will be deprived of service due to financial incapacity. Again, to meet the expense of service, no one will be left alone or his position will not go below the poverty line.

Financial security situation

The World Health Organization says the government of Bangladesh spends only 3.4 percent of GDP in the health sector. And in the healthcare sector, with medical expenses, 72 percent goes out of a person's pocket. The remaining 28 percent is spent on government, NGOs and donor agencies.

When a person's own expenditure increases, poor or middle class people refrain from seeking treatment or become helpless when seeking treatment. The rate of people living below the poverty line in the country has dropped to about 20 percent. But the World Health Organization says poverty is falling below the poverty line by 7 percent every year. This situation indicates poor financial security. 

  

Things are getting worse

In 2012 the Health Economics Unit of the Ministry of Health prepared the Health Financing Strategy. It was stated in the Strategy for the period from 2012-2032, by 2012, the individual's own spending in the health sector will be reduced to 32 percent. At that time the person's own expense was 64 percent. Then it increased to 67 percent in 2015 years. And now it is 72 percent. That is, there is no sign of a person's own spending increasing day by day.

At the time of making this strategy, the government would have incurred 26% of the health expenditure. It was said that the government's share of the expenditure will be gradually increased to 30 percent in 2032. The real situation looks different. The share of government is gradually decreasing in total expenditure. Currently it is 23 percent.