Policy dialogue on ‘Strategies for Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases in Bangladesh’

Objective of this dialogue is to identify the gaps and opportunities in the health systems to strengthen the services for prevention of non-communicable diseases in Bangladesh. Bangladesh, like many transitional nations, is straddled in the demographic and epidemiological transition. In a review of 23 developing countries, Bangladesh was found to have the 9th highest rate of age-standardized mortality among the included countries due to chronic diseases, primarily cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Around 68% of deaths in Bangladesh are due to NCDs and other chronic health conditions. Bangladesh is facing a double burden, with a huge load of infectious diseases and an increasing burden due to NCDs, which lead the Government to update the strategic plan to combat NCDs in the country.

 To support evidence-informed public health policy-making in Bangladesh we have undertaken a joint activity between icddr,b (Bangladesh), Institute for Global Health University College London (UK) and Palladium Group (India) and in partnership with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh with support from European Union (EU). The overall aim of this project is to improve health equity, particularly for urban poor and those suffering from NCDs to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) in Bangladesh. To achieve this objective, we have undertaken a number of activities to (a) strengthen the capacity of public health institutes in Bangladesh to engage with key decision makers to promote evidence-informed policy; and (b) strengthen the capacity of policy influencers and policy implementers to access, analyze and appropriately use evidence in health policy and practice with a primary focus on urban health and NCDs.