This document is a report submitted by Sk. Tanvir Raihan Emon to Dr. Shrabanti Dev on the current status of community healthcare in Bangladesh. It discusses that Bangladesh has a pluralistic healthcare system consisting of government, private for-profit, private non-profit, and international development organizations. It faces challenges like limited public facilities, lack of essential commodities, unavailability of health workforce, and inadequate financial resources. Ways to overcome these challenges include improving management systems, increasing healthcare providers, and introducing e-health, m-health, and health insurance programs.

1. An Assignment
on
Current Status of
Community Healthcare in Bangladesh
Submitted to:
Dr. Shrabanti Dev
Associate Professor
Pharmacy Discipline
Khulna University
Submitted by:
Sk. Tanvir Raihan Emon
Student ID: 171111
4th Year 2nd Term
Pharmacy Discipline
Khulna University
Date Of Submission: 22nd October, 2020
Course Title: Community Pharmacy &
Pharmacy Law
Course No: Pharm 4239

2. Community Healthcare
Community health is a medical
specialty that focuses on the
physical and mental well-being of
the people in a specific geographic
region. This important subsection
of public health includes initiatives
to help community members
maintain and improve their health,
prevent the spread of infectious
diseases and prepare for natural
disasters.

3. Healthcare System in Bangladesh
Bangladesh has a
pluralistic healthcare system,
which is highly unregulated and
consists mainly of four key
actors-
1. Government,
2. For-profit private sector,
3. Not-for-profit private sector
(mainly by NGO’s),
4. Iinternational development
organizations
Government
For-profit
private sector
Non profit
private sector
International
development
organizations
Healthcare of
Bangladesh

4. level of Healthcare System in Bangladesh
Health services are usually organized at three levels, each level
supported by a higher level to which the patient is referred.

5. Current Values Healthcare System in
Bangladesh
Health care delivery is a daunting challenge area of the Bangladesh’s
healthcare systems. Government running a age old healthcare structure
which is demonstrated here -

6. Current Values Healthcare System in
Bangladesh

7. Challenges in Healthcare System of
Bangladesh
Currently Bangladesh is facing some arduous challenges to solve. The main
challenges are:
• Limited Public Facilities: A total of 536 public hospitals with 37,387 beds
provide inpatient care services in Bangladesh for a population of 160
million. The number is clearly inadequate. However, these hospitals have
limited specialists, diagnostic and laboratory services. In addition, there are
nine general hospitals with 100-250 bed capacity each. When compared with
other developing countries, it becomes clear that Bangladesh does not have
adequate number of hospital beds to serve its large population.
• Lack of Essential Commodities: Availability of drugs, medical supplies and
family planning commodities is almost a constant problem in many public
health facilities throughout the length and breadth of Bangladesh. the
problem lies with lack of effective supply chain management, lack of funds
to pay for supplies is also a serious problem.

8. Challenges in Healthcare System of
Bangladesh
• Unavailability of Health Workforce: Unlike many service sectors, inpatient
healthcare demands highly qualified labor force (health workforce) including
physicians, dentists, nurses, midwives and medical technologists. Bangladesh
has a chronic shortage of appropriately trained human resources of health
including physicians, nurses and midwives. Such a shortage must be
considered to be a strong limiting factor for population health.
• Misuse or Misappropriation of Resources: It is reported that because of
either misuse or inappropriate use almost 65% of the ambulances given to the
Upazila Health Complexes are “inoperable” or non-functional at any given
point of time [29]. Clearly the patients suffer for the inefficiency of the health
system.
• Inadequate Financial Resources : In Bangladesh, about 3.4% of GDP is spent
on health. Health financing is mainly tax-based, along with the financing
from development partners. But the poorer people spend more on health
through out-of-pocket payment, which often leads to their impoverishment.

9. Challenges in Healthcare System of
Bangladesh
Fig: Health workforce crisis in Bangladesh

10. Challenges in Healthcare System of
Bangladesh
Fig: Proportion of population who experienced difficulties with
medical, health, and hygiene supply, by sex ( percentage, n=2,296)

11. Ways to Overcome Challenges in
Healthcare System of Bangladesh
As Bangladesh is now facing a huge number of problems in healthcare area,
there are a lot of areas that are needed to be improved. Some of them are
discussed here –
• Improve in management system: The running system are not
modernized enough. Though Govt. already introduced “digital sheba”
but most of the people are not getting this facilities properly. Corruption,
incompetence and lack of technological knowledge in policymakers
makes the thing worst. The regulatory body need be impowered more .
Current regulatory body for heath ministry

12. Ways to Overcome Challenges in
Healthcare System of Bangladesh
• Increase number of healthcare
service provider: As discussed
earlier, the total number of
healthcare workforce is way too
low. This number need to be
increased. More well qualified
personnel should be added in
this system. Training programs
should be arranged more
frequently. In terms of health
technicians of various kinds
(from laboratory technicians to
physiotherapists) the deficit is
almost half a million. This gap
should be filled up.

13. Ways to Overcome Challenges in
Healthcare System of Bangladesh
• Introduction of E-health & M health: For a small country like Bangladesh
with a vast population it is not easy to solve overall health issue overnight.
An easy solution can be e-health. Through internet and mobile phone it is
possible to serve more people in short time, which is extremely helpful for
Bangladesh. Necessary steps should be taken fast.

14. Ways to Overcome Challenges in
Healthcare System of Bangladesh
• Health Insurance: the practice of health insurance is not that much
popular in Bangladesh. This can be a potential solution for financial
problems in healthcare service. Health insurance system should be
mandatory and need to regulated by government. Health insurance can
reimburse the insured for expenses incurred from illness or injury, or pay
the care provider directly.

15. Ways to Overcome Challenges in
Healthcare System of Bangladesh
• Introduction of Hospital Pharmacists:
Hospital pharmacist is an important
part of a country’s healthcare system.
But, unfortunately in Bangladesh
hospital pharmacists are not introduced
yet. A hospital pharmacists can
minimize errors made by doctor, can
measure dose for an individual. This
kind of service impacts on overall
healthcare quality. A hospital
pharmacists can improve the quality in
certain amount. Recently government is
trying to create a post in every hospitals
which is good initiative for
improvement of overall healthcare
performance.

16. Future Of Healthcare System of
Bangladesh
In recent years Bangladesh are doing well to overcome healthcare problem.
Improvement of community clinic and promoting information on basic
concepts are working well. Free vaccine and vitamin camp across the country is
another complementary work from government. The infant mortality rate &
maternal mortality is decreasing. This are good sign for future.