Bangladesh must remove inequalities to ensure universal health coverage as it is still facing many challenges to provide healthcare facilities for the underprivileged people and those living in hard to reach regions, health experts told a programme yesterday.
They have attributed poor healthcare coverage to different sorts of inequalities – – geographical, financial, educational and gender-which are obstructing the access of people to healthcare facilities. Health experts from different local and international organizations made the observation at a meet the press in a city hotel.
Dr. Ishtiaq Mannan, director of health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS of Save the Children, said, “Bangladesh has done remarkably well in achieving MDGs and we achieved many MDG targets before scheduled time. Now we have to focus on SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) to replicate similar success.”
Child mortality rates over the past decades have decreased significantly, with under-five mortality falling from 144 to 46 deaths per 1000 live births between 1990 and 2014, he said adding maternal mortality has also decreased from 322 for every 100,000 live births in 2001 to 170 in 2013.
Health specialist of UNICEF Dr Md Ziaul Matin said in the past two decades, the country has made a significant progress in different indicators of health sector and it must speed up its efforts to ensure universal health coverage. He described financial barrier as main reason for widening inequalities in the country.
President of Bangladesh Pediatric Association and Chairman of Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council Dr Mohammad Shahidullah said Sylhet, Chittagong and Barisal are the low performing divisions in the health sector and these three divisions lag behind other divisions due to complex geographical setting and poor educational status. Special programmes should be taken for Sylhet, Barisal and Chittaging divisions to expand
healthcare coverage, he added. Other speakers said alongside widening healthcare facilities, quality healthcare must be ensured to check maternal mortality rate and neonatal deaths in the country.
