There is a increasing trend among heart-profits households in Bangladesh to study healthcare products and services in one more country, despite the provide of many therapies domestically, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise (DCCI) President Ashraf Ahmed stated at the present time (23 November).
“Whereas quite loads of the therapies are available domestically, the ask for scientific tourism retains increasing unabated,” he stated precise through a seminar titled “Reversing the Outbound Healthcare Tourism” organised by DCCI at its auditorium.
Ashraf Ahmed cited records from the World Replace Group (WTO), saying that 49% of Bangladeshis lack acquire admission to to quality healthcare, which has fuelled a rising tendency to study drugs in a foreign country.
He stated that the trend is now now not driven by price concerns, as tear and residing costs generally make foreign therapies marginally extra costly.
“As an different, it stems from complications similar to a lack of world requirements in local healthcare and insufficient buyer pride.”
He went on to articulate, “Besides for a few therapies address robotic surgical treatment, basically the main drivers of this trend are the comparatively decrease self belief in and pride with local products and services.”
Ashraf Ahmed stated that reversing the trend requires now now not most effective improved scientific products and services nonetheless also a holistic potential to give a boost to the total affected person experience.
“Buyer pride relies now now not upright on the drugs nonetheless to your entire ecosystem, including nurses, administrative workers, and scientific technologists,” he added.
He called for attracting foreign doctors, nurses and consultants to develop the now not fresh of local healthcare products and services.
DCCI Senior Vice President Malik Talha Ismail Bari, in his keynote presentation, identified the inadequacy of the properly being sector funds.
In the 2024-25 fiscal year, the allocation for healthcare modified into Tk30,125 crore, constituting most effective 3.78% of the total funds.
He mentioned that while the per capita properly being expenditure in South Asia is $401 in buying energy parity (PPP), it’s miles most effective $110 in Bangladesh.
He also highlighted that Bangladesh’s properly being expenditure accounted for 2.36% of its GDP in 2021.
In the intervening time, outbound healthcare tourism from Bangladesh amounted to roughly $4 billion in 2012, a figure driven by factors such because the scarcity of specialised drugs, have confidence, superior skills and competitive pricing.
Rural-Urban Disparity in Healthcare
Amongst the 36 specialised hospitals in the country, 19 would be found in Dhaka district, with the relaxation 17 spread across assorted regions.
Besides, out of 5,461 non-public hospitals and clinics in Bangladesh, 1,810 are concentrated in the Dhaka division. This metropolis-centric distribution leaves rural populations deprived of ample healthcare products and services, inserting excessive force on Dhaka.
Bari identified restricted infrastructure, a scarcity of knowledgeable workers, quality and security concerns, a low doctor-affected person ratio, and long ready cases as key challenges to having access to superior healthcare domestically.
