STAFF CORRESPONDENT:

The government has increased healthcare expenditure by 39% compared to the last revised budget for the fiscal year 2024.

In the latest proposed budget for the fiscal year, Tk41,408 crore has been earmarked for health, which is 5.2% of the total budget.

It also represents 0.7% of the GDP. In the last revised budget, Tk29,782cr was allocated, which was 0.8% of the GDP.

Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali today also proposed a special allocation of Tk2,000 crore to address health risks.

Additionally, he proposed Tk100 crore for the development and enhancement of scientific research in various health disciplines, including reproductive health and nutrition, to identify and address medical and healthcare issues.

Ensuring universal health and nutrition is one of the basic principles of our government, the finance minister said in his speech, adding, “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.”

“We have already achieved commendable progress in the development of health, nutrition and family welfare sectors,” he also said, adding despite resource constraints, Bangladesh 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,” the Finance Minister added.