Sustainable financing for hypertension control urged

The burden of hypertension-related illness and premature deaths is increasing at an alarming rate in Bangladesh. In 2024,  approximately 283,800 people died from cardiovascular diseases in the country, with hypertension accounting for 52 percent of these deaths. Although the government has increased the health budget, adequate and sustained  financing for hypertension control remains a major challenge. Allocating a significant portion of the increased health budget to  controlling hypertension and other non- communicable diseases (NCDs) could help reduce the risk of premature deaths.

These issues were highlighted on Wednesday (11 November 2026) at a journalists' workshop titled "Sustainable Financing for Hypertension Control in Bangladesh: Progress, Barriers and the Way Forward" held at the BIP Conference Room in the capital. The workshop was organized by research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI). A total of 25 journalists working in print, television and online media attended the workshop.

At the workshop, it was informed that approximately 570,263 people die from various NCDs in Bangladesh every year, accounting for nearly 71 percent of all deaths, while 19 percent of these deaths are premature. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) Health and Morbidity Status Survey 2025, hypertension ranks first among the country's top 10 diseases. However, only 4.2 percent of the national health budget is allocated to NCD control, according to World Bank data. Inadequate funding is disrupting the regular supply of free anti-hypertensive medicines at Community Clinics and NCD Corners in Upazila Health Complexes.

Dr. Md. Enamul Haque, Director General, Health Economics Unit, said, "The allocation for the health sector has been increased from 5.3 percent to 7.4 percent in the current budget, which is commendable. It is now essential to allocate a portion of this increased budget to hypertension control."
Zahirul Alam, Executive Director, Channel 24, stated, "Regular campaigns through the mass media and social media must continue to highlight the importance of sustainable financing for hypertension control."

Ezinne Ezekwem, Associate Director, Non-communicable Diseases, GHAI; Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead, GHAI; Mortuza Haider Liton, Convener, Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA); and ABM Zubair, Executive Director, PROGGA were present at the workshop as discussants. The thematic presentations were delivered by Hasan Shahriar, Head of Programs, PROGGA and Samiha Bintay Kamal, Program Officer, PROGGA.