Speakers, including health experts, at an event on Wednesday emphasised the need for an integrated coordination between the government and non-government organisations in the health sector to achieve universal health coverage.
They also stressed the need to focus on efficiently utilising local funds and exploring for alternative financing models to ensure the long-term viability of NGO-led health initiative, as NGOs face a crisis due to recent global funding cuts.聽聽
To discuss the contributions of NGOs and explore ways to strengthen their role in achieving Universal Health Coverage, the Power and Participation Research Centre and the UHC Forum, with support from UNICEF, organised the health debate at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital.
PPRC executive chairman Hossain Zillur Rahman, who chaired the event, said, 鈥業t is necessary to clearly define specific roles of NGOs and the government in different areas of the health sector to improve efficiency and prevent resource misallocation.鈥櫬犅�
鈥榃e also need to explore ways to engage the government, NGOs, and the private sector in a specifically integrated manner to accelerate realisation of universal health coverage,鈥� he added.聽聽聽
Former president of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh, Rowshan Ara Begum, highlighted the fragmented nature of the NGO service provision, where many organisations operate independently, leading to duplication of services in some areas and gaps in coverage in others.
Experts also called for a comprehensive mapping of NGO services, funding sources, and beneficiaries to ensure equitable distribution of healthcare resources, particularly in underserved areas.
Mohammad Nahidul Karim, assignment officer of NGO Affairs Bureau, said that in 2024, 187 NGOs got Tk 2,193 crore of external funding for health projects which include the health service, advocacy and awareness building areas.
Former directors general of the Directorate General of Health Services MA Faiz and Aminur Hasan, former secretary of DGHS and UHC Forum member Md Ashadul Islam, and Dhaka university Economics unit professor Syed Abdul Hamid also spoke at the event, among others.
