Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali on Thursday proposed an allocation of Tk 41, 407 crore for the health and family welfare sector for 2024-25 fiscal year (FY), which is Tk 3,356 crore more than the revised budget of FY 2023-24.
It was Tk 38,051 crore in the last FY.
While placing the proposed budget in the National Parliament, the Finance Minister said that the governments main aim is to ensure universal health and nutrition in the country.
"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," Abul Hassan said.
The Minister highlighted achievements of the incumbent government in health, nutrition and family welfare sectors.
He said despite resource constraints, the country 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.
"Significant progress has been made in the health sector in the last one and a half decades. Maternal mortality rate was 351 per lakh in 2007, which has reduced to 136 at present," he said, adding, "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."
He said, "Life expectancy was 66.6 years in 2007, which has now increased to 72.3 years. The success of Bangladeshs immunisation expansion programme has been globally commended. The rate of full immunization of children less than one year of age increased from 75 percent to 94 percent."
The Finance Minister said that against the target of building 18,000 community clinics across the country, 14,311 community clinics have already been constructed. Health services are being ensured to the rural people from these community clinics and 27 types of medicines are being provided free of cost.
Significant progress has also been made in the digitalization of the health sector, he continued.
"Bangladesh is now capable of producing world-class medicines. 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," Abul Hassan said. He added that allocations are being made to Integrated Health-Science Research and Development Fund to create basic and applied research infrastructure in medicine, conduct research activities, increase the capacity of innovations in the health sector.
"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," the Finance Minister said.
