Bangladesh’s healthcare system is at breaking point due to chronic underfunding, weak regulation, and poor coordination, with citizens forced to cover 74% of medical expenses out of pocket, the highest share in the world.

At the Bangladesh Health Conclave 2025 in Dhaka on Saturday, policymakers, experts, and industry leaders called for sweeping reforms to expand access to affordable and reliable healthcare.

They urged a sharp rise in budget allocation from less than 1% of GDP to between 5–8%, alongside stronger regulation and better public-private collaboration.

Planning Adviser Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud said that people’s lack of confidence in local health services was pushing many to seek treatment abroad.

“The situation should have been reversed; we should have developed the capacity to attract people to Bangladesh for treatment,” he noted, highlighting shortages of doctors, nurses, and skilled manpower.

Health Secretary Md Saidur Rahman announced a 100-day plan to operationalize 21 government dispensaries in Dhaka and accelerate license approvals, but admitted that preventive care remained neglected. “No one teaches students how to live a healthy life,” he said.

From the private sector, Square Group Director Tapan Chowdhury emphasized the need for stable policies and partnerships, while LabAid’s Dr. A. M. Shamim called for rebuilding trust in private healthcare.

Political leaders also weighed in, with BNP’s Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury promising over 5% of GDP for health if in power, while Jamaat’s Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher urged a service-oriented private sector.