Public-private collaboration must for affordable healthcare: Khosru

Closer public-private collaboration is essential to make healthcare affordable for all, the finance minister said today, noting that Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of out-of-pocket healthcare spending in the world.

The country also needs a stronger focus on entrepreneurship to ensure the sustainable transformation of its healthcare sector, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said at an event on health entrepreneurship at Amari Dhaka.

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According to the Bangladesh National Health Accounts 1997-2020, nearly 69 percent of total health expenditure is paid directly by households out of their own pockets.

The minister said increasing budget allocations alone would not fix the problem, and that the priority was optimal use of existing resources, with joint public-private discussions serving as a roadmap for the future.

Bangladesh already has skilled entrepreneurs, diagnostic centers, private hospitals and a strong phamaceutical industry, Khosru said.

He said this year's budget allocates substantial support for the pharmaceutical sector's Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) industry, including a dedicated API zone.

The key question, however, the minister added is how to integrate that capacity into the mainstream healthcare system.

Stating that healthcare a fundamental right for all, Khosru said the government is placing greater emphasis on primary and preventive care, with plans to deploy about 100,000 health workers to raise awareness at the grassroots level.

Rather than build additional public healthcare infrastructure, he said, the government has made a policy decision to utilise private sector capacity and expertise instead.

The current budget also offers significant incentives for domestic and foreign entrepreneurs to invest in manufacturing healthcare equipment in Bangladesh, an initiative that has already drawn a strong response, he said.

The finance minister said the people of Bangladesh have the potential to become among the world's finest entrepreneurs if given the right opportunities and policy framework.

He said the current government's political philosophy is centered on private sector-led growth, with the country's leadership viewing the private sector as the driving force of economic development.

He expressed optimism that visionary leadership, supportive policymaking and the hard work of Bangladesh's entrepreneurs would make a transformative contribution to the healthcare sector and bring quality care to people's doorsteps.

The event was attended by Zubaida Rahman, Vice President of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation, as the chief guest. Special guests included the finance minister, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain and the PM’s Special Assistant on Health Affairs Dr SM Ziauddin Haider.