Policymakers, senior government officials and public health experts on Sunday called for the formal integration of Community Paramedics into Bangladesh's national healthcare system, saying their recognition would help address the country's shortage of skilled health workers and improve access to quality healthcare, particularly in rural areas.
The call came at a policy dialogue organised by Swisscontact Bangladesh under its Astha Project, in collaboration with the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH), at a hotel in the capital.
Opening the discussion, Astha Project Team Leader Abdul Awal said Bangladesh has invested in developing Community Paramedics for more than 15 years and is now witnessing the positive results of that investment.
He said the time had come to formally recognise the profession and establish a regulatory framework to enable Community Paramedics to contribute more effectively to the country's healthcare system.
During the event, researchers presented findings of a national study conducted by BRAC, which showed that Community Paramedics consistently outperformed conventional rural healthcare providers in delivering essential maternal healthcare services.
According to the study, Community Paramedics correctly assessed fetal heart rates in 73% of cases, compared with 36% by general providers. They also recorded better performance in pregnancy testing, blood testing, referral of high-risk pregnancies to hospitals and the delivery of family planning services.
The study further found that more than half of the patients receiving services from Community Paramedics had previously sought treatment from village doctors or local drug shops, indicating growing public confidence in trained healthcare professionals. Researchers said the shift has also reduced healthcare costs for rural households while improving timely access to appropriate medical care.
Assistant Director (Maternal and Child Health) of the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP), Manjur Hossain, said Bangladesh continues to face a significant shortage of skilled healthcare workers and that Community Paramedics could play an important role in addressing the gap.
Chairman of the Community Clinic Health Support Trust, Dr Abu Muhammad Zakir Hossain, described Community Paramedics as an essential bridge between rural communities and government health facilities, stressing the need to strengthen their integration into the public health system.
Professor Dr Kaosar Afsana of the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health said the research clearly demonstrated that, with appropriate training and supportive supervision, Community Paramedics are capable of delivering high-quality healthcare services.
She noted that the government's reported plan to recruit 100,000 healthcare workers presents an opportunity to include the country's existing 10,000 trained Community Paramedics in the national workforce.
Dr Sohana Shafique of icddr,b said access to quality healthcare remains a challenge not only in rural areas but also in urban settings, suggesting that the Community Paramedic model could also be explored for urban healthcare delivery.
Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Mohammad Noor Alam Siddiqui attended the programme as the chief guest.
He stressed the need to revise the existing 2013 Community Paramedic policy, strengthen the training curriculum and improve oversight of training institutions. He also expressed hope that Swisscontact's Astha Project and the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council (BNMC) would continue working together to support these reforms.
Concluding the event, Swisscontact Bangladesh Country Director Helal Hossain said Bangladesh already has more than 10,000 trained Community Paramedics serving communities across the country and that the priority should now be to ensure their formal recognition and institutional support.
Representatives from government agencies, development organisations, academic institutions and professional bodies attended the dialogue, which concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening Bangladesh's healthcare system through greater recognition and integration of Community Paramedics.
The Astha Project is being implemented by Swisscontact with financial support from Novartis, the Happel Foundation, the Laguna Foundation, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and other development partners.
