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Bangladesh - P4H Network
Current Health Expenditure (CHE) as % Gross Domestic Product (GDP)2.4%CHE/GDP
Out-of-pocket (OOPS) as % of Current Health Expenditure (CHE)73%OOP/CHE
Domestic General Government Health Expenditure (GGHE-D) as % General Government Expenditure (GGE)3.1%GGHE-D/GGE
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in constant (2020) US$ per capita414.9KGDP (USD)
Population (in thousands)169.4MPopulation
Incidence of Catastrophic Health Spending at 10% Threshold (SDG 3.8.2) Total24.4%Catastrophic Health Spending

Since ratification of Bangladesh’s first constitution in 1972, the government of Bangladesh has prioritized improving health care and nutrition. The government sees the state as having the primary responsibility for the provision of health services and sees these services as a basic necessity. 

In 2020, current health expenditure (CHE) as a share of GDP was 2% while the domestic general government health expenditure was 18% of CHE and, out-of-pocket (OOP) payments are high at 74% of CHE[1]. International development partners are the other major funding source at 5% of CHE. Chronic underspending of the budget indicates an inefficiency in using resources.

Low government investment in public facilities, some user charges and payments for medicines, and high use of the private sector have resulted in significant inequity in access to services.

Pluralistic health system with good health outcomes at low cost

Bangladesh has a multipronged health system with four key actors: government, private sector, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and donor agencies. The government is responsible for policy, regulation, and provision of comprehensive health services. The private sector and NGOs, supported by donors, provide health and family planning services to complement the government’s capacity and resources. Private facilities have filled most of the shortfall, which has resulted in OOP payments comprising a large share of CHE, and hence limited financial protection for the population.

References

[1] See indicators on WHO>

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