Boost health budget, but ensure implementation

The national budget for 2021-22 should be adopted focusing on the health crisis caused by Covid-19, said speakers at a virtual discussion yesterday.

While increasing allocation for health sector in the budget is urgent, the monitoring to ensure timely, transparent and effective use of resources is more important, they added.

Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) organised the discussion.

Urging the government to allocate 10 percent of the GDP for the health sector, speakers said a portion of this allocation should be spent for public health, research, training and capacity building.

They also suggested initiating primary healthcare service for all in the community clinics in rural areas.

Dr Nitai Kanti Das presented the keynote at the beginning of the discussion titled "National Health Budget 2021-22: Reality and Necessity".

He said this pandemic has caused a health disaster and affected lives and livelihood of people. "There is no alternative to bring change in the health system," he added.

Referring to different studies, he said, "Due to Covid-19 emergency, around 62 percent people have become jobless, 86 percent have faced reduced income while 78 percent have forced to cut cost from their livelihood expenses. So, there is a need for more investment in the health sector."

Speaking as chief guest, Dr Atiur Rahman, former governor of Bangladesh Bank, said Bangladesh is at the bottom in terms of GDP allocation in the budget among the South Asian countries.

There is a need for increasing allocation for health sector, he said. He also stressed for increasing development budget and ensuring proper implementation of the development plan.

Prof MM Akash, chairman of the Department of Economics at Dhaka University, said, "Increasing allocation for health sector will not be enough. There is a need for continuous monitoring."

"If any other ministry fails to spend allocated money timely, that can be transferred to tackle any disaster or emergency," he said.

Presiding over the event, Prof Rashid-E-Mahbub, president of Jatiya Sastha Odhikar Andolon, said, "The corruption in the health sector has become widespread. The health system has still remained analogue in the digital era. This must change."

Eminent rights activist Sultana Kamal, president of Bapa, said, "The corruption in the health sector must be stopped. Simultaneously, those involved must be brought under justice."

She also urged for re-shuffling of the health system to make it pro-people.

Dr AM Zakir Hossain, former director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said, "The government has failed to satisfy people with health service. The allocation is lesser but corruption is widespread in this sector."

He also urged to build separate human resources to produce vaccines for diseases.

Dr Mushtaq Hussain, a consultant of IEDCR, also proposed to increase budget allocation for the sector. "Besides, there is a need for strengthening capacity of the community clinics in rural areas," he said.