THE treatment cost of chronic diseases in our country is very high which pushes many marginal people to financial uncertainty. The government though has extended social safety net over the years; the UHC (universal health coverage) is still out of the policymakers’ discussion table. Poor people turn from poor to poorer because of high health costs when they suffer from chronic diseases, including cancer, heart and respiratory problems, etcetera. This is the sorry state of our health sector.
Bangladesh has earned global accolades for reducing maternal and child deaths over the years. But the cases of chronic or non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing every year. A report of the WHO said heart ailments, cancers and respiratory complications soared by seven percent from the 2008 figures to 59 percent in 2012. The report said of the 8.86 lakh deaths in the country in 2012, 17 percent were caused due to cardiovascular diseases, 10 percent by cancers, 11 percent by chronic respiratory diseases, 3 percent by diabetes, 18 percent by other NCDs and 9 percent by injuries.
There is no alternative but to slash the price of life-saving drugs and equipment like rings, artificial valves, and others. Side by side, the public healthcare sector should be modernised and accountable. We think, it would be wise if the government forms a regulatory body to monitor the private healthcare sector as 60 percent people depend on private healthcare for NCDs.
The private healthcare was introduced in the country to reduce some pressure from public hospitals struggling with a large number of patients. But these private hospitals have become a big burden for the patients where low-quality services, excessive fees and lack of efficient doctors and nurses are a regular phenomenon.
Without increasing the capability of the public medical sector it would not possible to provide full-fledged healthcare facility to the people, even if the number of private clinics is increased.
