Govt-funded urban health model to be finalised in six months: State Minister

The government would unveil a new urban health model within the next six months aimed at enhancing existing capacity with full public funding and safeguarding the health of nearly six crore urban citizens.

State Minister for Health Dr MA Muhith outlined the plan in this regard while speaking at a meeting held at a hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday.

The discussion, titled “Urban Health: Enhancing Multisectoral Engagement”, was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Urban Health Network (BUHN) and “Eminence,” with support from the Swedish Embassy and UNICEF.

The government will finalise a sustainable, multi-sectoral urban health model within six months, and in the meantime the existing urban health centres would continue operating under the current partnership framework, he said.

Muhith said that while rural communities have an established network of upazila health complexes, the Health Ministry previously had no formal direct responsibility for providing healthcare to the country's large urban population. The government has now taken a final decision to address that gap by assuming responsibility for urban healthcare.

He said existing urban health centres would continue operating under the previous partnership arrangement for the next six months to prevent disruption to services. Necessary policy and financial approvals have been granted, and the interim period will be used to finalise a comprehensive, sustainable and affordable model.

On health financing, Muhith said the country had allocated its highest-ever budget for the health sector this year. The government also has a political commitment to gradually raise health spending to 5% of the national budget over the next five years.

He called for a broader approach to urban healthcare that goes beyond hospitals and medicines to include housing, safe water, sanitation, employment, mental health and prevention of non-communicable diseases.

Rather than replicating the rural healthcare structure in cities, he said, the government should assess the specific needs of urban residents, introduce electronic health cards and establish an effective referral network involving public and private healthcare providers.

Noting that the urban health project has already received preliminary inclusion in the Planning Commission, the state minister urged public health experts, researchers and development partners to quickly prepare a practical, cost-effective and multisectoral action plan.

Others who spoke at the meeting included Bangladesh Doctors' Association President Prof Dr Harun Al Rashid, Health Economics Unit Director General Dr Md Enamul Haque, NIPSOM Director Prof Dr Nasrin Sultana, UNICEF Bangladesh Health Manager Imadul Haque, World Health Organization representative Dewan Emdadul Haque, World Bank representative Wameq Raza and Bangladesh Medical Research Council Director Kazi Saifuddin Bennur.

Officials from the Health Ministry and its directorates, development partners, public health experts and other sector stakeholders also shared their views.