Bangladesh Health Conclave 2025 calls for stronger healthcare system

The Bangladesh Health Conclave 2025 was held on Saturday at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka, bringing together policymakers, researchers, private sector service providers, medical equipment manufacturers and development partners.

The day-long event was organised by business daily Bonik Barta under the theme "Better Healthcare, Brighter Nation". The programme, moderated by Dewan Hanif Mahmud, Editor and Publisher of Bonik Barta, began at 9:30am.

Interim Government's Planning Advisor Wahiduddin Mahmud, who was due to attend as Chief Guest but joined virtually due to illness, said, "People's full trust in the country's healthcare system has not yet been established. Every year, a large number of people travel abroad for better treatment, spending vast sums of money. The situation should have been the opposite—we should have built the capacity to attract people to Bangladesh for treatment."

He added, "While large infrastructures have been built in our country, there is a lack of adequate doctors. In many cases, where there are doctors, there are no nurses. Due to this shortage of skilled manpower, the general public is deprived of quality medical care. Therefore, health sector investors should build low-cost hospitals and healthcare centres, keeping in mind the affordability of the common people." He also called for greater coordination between public and private investment.

Special Assistant to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (State Minister Status) Professor Dr Md Sayedur Rahman, attending as Special Guest, said, "Like the police and the army, the health sector also needs regulation; but regulation does not mean oppression. In our country, regulation often turns into tyranny. The health sector must have a certain degree of regulation to be safe, but it should not become tyrannical, and the regulatory authority should not be corrupt. Regulation must be limited to a specific framework."

He noted, "It is unbelievable but true that there was no specific law for establishing medical colleges and hospitals in Bangladesh. From now on, all public and private medical colleges, hospitals, and diagnostic centres will follow a common law."

BNP National Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury criticised what he described as excessive regulatory bodies slowing sector progress. He argued for more autonomy for private healthcare providers, saying:
"Nowhere else in the world does the government strictly control everything to this extent—this is a uniquely Bangladeshi phenomenon. Greater control only creates more opportunities for corruption." He pledged that a future BNP government would allocate more than 5% of GDP to healthcare.

Jamaat-e-Islami Naeb-e-Amir Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher called on the private sector to prioritise service over profit. He urged healthcare entrepreneurs to reduce financial burdens on patients and called for a budget allocation of 6–8% of GDP. He also stressed the importance of public-private partnerships with greater responsibility from private actors.

The conclave also featured Md Saidur Rahman, Secretary of the Health Services Division, and Tapan Chowdhury, former Adviser to the Caretaker Government and Director of Square Group, as Honoured Guests.

Panel discussions included contributions from Professor Dr Md Abu Jafor, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services; Major General Md Shamim Haider, Director General of the Directorate General of Drug Administration; Professor Dr Md Shahinul Alam, Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Medical University; Sangay Wangmo, Team Leader of the WHO Bangladesh Office; Dr A M Shamim, Managing Director of LabAid Group; Dr Md Mossadek Hossain Biswas, President of the Bangladesh Private Hospital, Clinic and Diagnostic Owners Association; Asif Saleh, Executive Director of BRAC; and Dr Nizam Uddin Ahmed, Public Health Expert and CEO of National Telehealth Service.