NCDs: Medicine shortage alarming!

World Heart Day was recently observed with the fervent hope that every beat of the heart, which sustains the melody, rhythm and tempo of human life, remains steady and uninterrupted. This year’s theme serves as a reminder that not a single heartbeat should be missed. However, the harsh reality is that the silent risk of heart disease among the country’s marginalised population is steadily rising, compounded by an acute shortage of life-saving medicines at the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) corners of Upazila Health Complexes. When impoverished individuals are deprived of the medication they rely on, a dark shadow of anxiety looms over them.
For a long time, medicines were centrally supplied to 446 Upazila Health Complexes to manage non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. However, due to funding constraints and budgetary shortfalls, these service points now face a distressing void. The file requesting emergency allocation, as sought by the Directorate General of Health Services, remains trapped in bureaucratic red tape. Doctors repeatedly warn that any disruption in the regular intake of medication can halt treatment for poor patients, thereby exponentially increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Yet, according to data from the Global Burden of Disease study, heart disease is a leading cause of death in the country. Amidst such a public health crisis, the indifference shown by the state and policymakers is unacceptable. There is no room to gamble with the lives of ordinary people under the pretext of a limited health sector budget.
The government must accord the highest priority to resolving this crisis immediately. Firstly, a specific and permanent fund must be established, utilising an increased portion of the current budget, to ensure an uninterrupted supply of medicines to NCD corners. Secondly, bureaucratic delays must be eliminated, and necessary funds released on an urgent basis so that no hospital warehouse runs out of stock. At the same time, public awareness initiatives aimed at bringing about lifestyle changes must be extended to the grassroots level. It must be remembered that the continuous protection of every citizen’s heart is a prerequisite for building a healthy nation. Depriving marginalised people of life-saving medicines is, in a sense, pushing them towards death. Recognising this deep-seated issue, the state must take timely and effective measures immediately.