SANGSAD BHABAN, June 6, 2024 (BSS) - Considering the health sector as a priority, Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali today proposed an allocation of Taka 41,407 crore for Health and Family Welfare sector in the next fiscal year 2024-2025 which was Taka 38,051 crore in the fiscal year 2023-2024.

While placing the budget in next fiscal year, the finance minister said, "For advancement of the medical sector, the Father of the Nation established the Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) in 1972 and also specified its functions."

He said noteworthy functions include development and organization of scientific research in various disciplines of health sciences, development and streamlining of scientific research in various disciplines of health, reproductive health and nutrition to identify issues and problems related to medical and health care needs and to take measures aimed at proper application and utilization of medical research results.

Following the principles of Father of the Nation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has undertaken and implemented extensive development programs in medical science research in the last 15 years.

Ensuring universal health and nutrition is one of the basic principles of our government, the finance minister said adding, "We are working to implement this principle. Specially, we are working diligently to build a healthy, strong and lively population by providing affordable quality Health, Nutrition and Family Welfare (HNP) services to the public."

"We have already achieved commendable progress in the development of health, nutrition and family welfare sectors," he also said, adding despite resource constraints, Bangladesh has demonstrated remarkable success in achieving health-related MDG targets.

 "Inspired by this, we have been working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and the goals of the Perspective Plan by 2041 and ensure smart health services," the Finance Minister added.

The finance minister said significant progress has been made in the health sector in the last one and a half decade.

"Maternal mortality rate was 351 per lakh in 2007, which has reduced to 136 at present. The under-five mortality rate was 60 per thousand in 2007, which has declined to 33 today. Neonatal mortality rate was 29 per thousand in 2007, which has decreased to 20 today. Life expectancy was 66.6 years in 2007, which has now increased to 72.3 years, he said.

The success of Bangladesh's immunization expansion program has been globally commended, he said, adding the rate of full immunization of children under one year of age increased from 75 percent to 94 percent.

Last year, 10,500 doctors, 15,000 nurses, 1,000 midwives, and 650 medical technologists were recruited to sustain and strengthen these achievements in the health sector, Mahmood Ali said adding another recruitment of 10,000 nurses is underway.

While placing the budget for the next fiscal year, he said the government has continued the Expanded Immunization Programme (EPI) to protect the children and women from various deadly contagious diseases, Currently, immunization activities against 11 deadly contagious diseases are being carried out among the children, adolescent girls and women under the EPI programme.

Since October 2023, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which prevents cervical cancer in women, has been included in this program," the finance minister said adding this vaccine is being given in the form of a campaign to all adolescent girls aged 10-14 years and students of class 5-9 of educational institutions of the country.

Already the first phase of the campaign has been successfully completed in Dhaka Division, Mahmood Ali said, adding it has been decided to add typhoid conjugate vaccine and Japanese encephalitis vaccine to the EPI program in 2025.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has introduced community clinics to implement the initiative taken by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to reach the healthcare sector to the doorsteps of the rural people, he added.

Against the target of building 18,000 community clinics across the country, 14,311 community clinics have already been constructed, the finance minister said in his proposed budget speech.

He said, "Health services are being ensured to the rural people from these community clinics and 27 types of medicines are being provided free of cost. Recently, the United Nations adopted the first resolution on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's innovative Community Clinic model, which has been recognized by the world community as a role model titled 'Community Clinic: The Sheikh Hasina Initiative'."

The finance minister said the United Nations has urged other member states of the United Nations to emulate this innovative idea of the Prime Minister.

The Finance minister said significant progress has also been made in the digitalization of the health sector.

Starting from the national-level health institutions and hospitals to community clinics, rural health workers have been provided with computers, laptops and tablets with internet connectivity, he said, adding an electronic health database is being created by providing health cards with a uniform health ID to all citizens. Currently, shared health records have been introduced in 62 hospitals. Besides, the National e-Health Policy Strategy has been finalized.

High quality telemedicine services have been introduced in 96 hospitals, including 24 specialised hospitals, 15districthospitalsand57upazilahospitals, he added.

Medicine being an essential part of health care, the pharmaceutical industry has been identified as a thrust sector. Thanks to the different initiatives coupled with the policy support, Bangladesh is now capable of producing world-class medicines, Mahmood Ali said.

"About 98 percent of the total demand of medicines in the country is being produced locally and after meeting the domestic demand, medicines are being exported to more than 150 countries of the world including Europe and America," he added.

He also said from January to December 2023, the export of medicines worth Tk. 9,880 crore from Bangladesh to different countries has been approved," he added.

Modern and quality health education is essential for improving the quality of health services, the finnace minister said adding, "In this context, in line with the National Health Policy 2011, medical and nursing education and educational institutions are being upgraded and modernized.

"Steps have been taken to bring all medical postgraduate degrees under one platform, modernize examination system, and provide teachers' training," Mahmood Ali said.

"In the last 15 years, there has been a significant increase in both number of medical institutes and available seats. In this connection, I would like to mention that there were only 59 medical colleges and universities in our country in 2008, which has now increased to 111," he added.

There were 13 dental colleges and units which has increased to 35. In 2008 the number of government medical college seats were 2,310 which has now increased to 5,381, the finance minister said while placing the budget for the fiscal year of 24-25.

"Apart from this, projects of establishing Chittagong Medical University, Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Medical University, Rajshahi, Sylhet Medical University and Sheikh Hasina Medical University in Khulna have been approved," he added.

If all these projects are implemented, the health education will be expanded further, Mahmood added.

For building Smart Bangladesh, student selection process for MBBS and BDS courses in private medical and dental colleges and admission process of foreign students has been automated, he added.

In his budget speech, the finance minister said safe delivery services through skilled midwives and midwives at union level are being provided to ensure maternal and child health services including facilitating family planning services.