Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has come under sharp criticism after implementing only 21% of its development projects in FY2025, the lowest among all government agencies.

Despite steady budget increases, the ministry has repeatedly lagged behind the national average in Annual Development Programme (ADP) execution for over a decade, according to Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) data.

The national average stood at 67.85% in FY2025, while the Health Services Division (HSD) managed just 21%.

In previous years, the ministry also trailed behind, with rates of 76.65% versus the national rate of 80.92% in FY2024, 68.2% compared to 85.17% in FY2023, and 57.88% compared to 82.11% in FY2021.

“The ministry itself needs a fitness test,” said an IMED official, questioning how such a critical sector could chronically fail to utilise its budget.

Experts attribute the issue to weak leadership and inadequate professional management. “Physicians are often appointed as project directors, but they are not trained in procurement or project management. This severely hampers delivery,” a Planning Commission member said.

Public health specialists warned that the failures threaten long-term progress. “If development projects to improve health services fail, the nation will lose opportunities to build quality human resources,” said Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub.

Public investment in health remains just 0.74% of GDP in FY2025 — one of the lowest in South Asia. Of the national budget, the sector received 5.2%.

World Bank consultant Dr Mohammad Munsur Ahmed described Bangladesh’s health services as “in disarray” and urged reforms, including better management and engineering teams in hospitals.