Dhaka: Bangladesh Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has proposed to raise the budget for health services in fiscal 2020-21, adding Tk 292.47 billion in firepower to deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The figure marks a 23 percent jump on the revised allocation for the current year.

To fulfill emergency requirements, Kamal has proposed an allocation of Tk 100 billion.

“The government will do whatever is required to be done to address the pandemic,” he said while unveiling the budget in parliament on Thursday.

The health sector originally received more than Tk 257 billion in the FY2019-20 budget, but the sum appeared insufficient when the pandemic hit, creating an outcry for a lack of health workers and facilities and protective gear for doctors and nurses.

The finance minister recognised the need to invent sustainable methods of combating any pandemic like coronavirus in future and conduct proper research on epidemiology and disease control.

He said Bangladeshi students will have to engage themselves strongly in health science, engineering and research-related tasks.

“If we want to elevate ourselves to the developed country status, there is no alternative to formulating an integrated health-education and science and technology research guideline, creating funds and increasing allocation for this sector,” he said.

The health sector allocation in FY21 includes Tk 63.63 billion on health education and family welfare.

The rest, Tk 228.84 billion, will be spent on health services giving a priority to activities undertaken to combat COVID-19.

Kamal said 13 ministries and divisions are implementing programmes related to health and family welfare.

The allocation for this purpose in FY2020-21 is Tk 410.27 billion, or 1.3 percent of GDP and 7.2 percent of total budget allocations.

“Our government’s objective is to transform the health sector by developing a research culture in the country through formulating new policies or revising existing ones in coordination among different government departments,” Kamal said.

He recommended development of an integrated policy for scientific research in health education so that healthcare of the developed countries can be available in Bangladesh.

https://bdnews24.com/health/2020/06/11/bangladesh-raises-allocation-for-health-by-23pc-to-fight-covid-19