Dr Zubaida Rahman, Vice President of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation and wife of the Prime Minister, on Tuesday said there is no alternative to developing the country's young generation as health entrepreneurs to address the challenges facing Bangladesh's healthcare sector.
She made the remarks while addressing a workshop titled The Path to Becoming a Health Entrepreneur in Bangladesh as the chief guest at Hotel Amari in Gulshan.
Dr Zubaida said health entrepreneurship is not merely about building profitable businesses but about identifying real healthcare problems and developing effective solutions through research, innovation and scientific evidence.
She said Bangladesh's greatest strength lies in its large youth population. "If we can harness their technological skills, innovative thinking and sense of social responsibility, we can significantly improve both the quality and accessibility of healthcare services," she said, adding that proper training, mentorship and technical support could help young people turn innovative ideas into practical solutions.
Emphasising the need to prepare young people for future healthcare demands, she called for a coordinated ecosystem involving universities, researchers, teachers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and investors to help health-based startups grow.
"Access to healthcare is a fundamental right of every citizen. It is not a privilege," she said.
Dr Zubaida said years of mismanagement and a lack of accountability had pushed the country's healthcare sector into multiple crises, noting that people now bear nearly 72 per cent of healthcare costs out of their own pockets, placing a heavy burden on low- and middle-income families.
She stressed the need for effective and sustainable health policies to reduce treatment costs and ensure universal access to healthcare.
