Govt placing health issues at the centre of national development: Muhit

State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr MA Muhit is leading a high-level six-member Bangladesh delegation at the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA), the world’s largest global health forum, which is currently taking place Switzerland’s Geneva.

In his speech at the event, Muhit said that the new government of Bangladesh has placed health issue at the centre of national development. However, more than 70% of the country’s total healthcare expenditure is still borne directly by individuals, pushing many families towards poverty.

To address this, the government is taking steps to increase public health funding, he added.

Confirming Muhit’s statement, the ministry officials said that alongside the main event, the state minister for health also participated in a high-level ministerial meeting organised by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, joining health ministers from around the world to discuss global immunisation strategies.

Outlining the ongoing national health reforms, Muhit shared that the government is actively working to expand universal healthcare access, synchronise health data across public and private sectors, and reinforce infectious disease prevention.

He said that efforts are being intensified to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health challenges, and disability-friendly services, while simultaneously scaling up community programmes to promote health awareness and healthy lifestyles.

Addressing global environmental challenges, he expressed deep concern over the adverse health impacts of climate change on Bangladesh. He pointed out that shifting climate patterns are rapidly altering disease profiles, exerting massive additional pressure on the country's existing medical infrastructure.

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Furthermore, he reminded the global community that the protracted presence of over 1.3 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals (Rohingyas) continues to place an immense and disproportionate burden on Bangladesh’s limited healthcare facilities and infrastructure.

On the global health policy front, Muhit urged world leaders to urgently finalise a safe, transparent, accountable, and equitable “Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing” framework. He emphasised that the stark inequities and systemic gaps witnessed in vaccine and treatment distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic must never be repeated, making a robust international legal framework a necessity for the future.

Reminding delegates of the severe impact that shrinking global health finances, active conflicts, and ongoing humanitarian crises have on low- and middle-income countries, he urged for the efficient and strategic utilization of available resources.

He concluded by demanding stronger global cooperation to combat silent killers, particularly non-communicable diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).