Bangladesh Faces Major Doctor Shortage and Health Supply Challenges
Bangladesh’s public hospitals need thousands more doctors. Currently, 11,495 doctor posts are vacant across the country. Health Minister Sardar Sakhawat Husain shared this information in Parliament on Monday. He said 30,311 doctors work in public hospitals against 41,806 approved positions.
The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests Bangladesh needs around 88,909 doctors. The government is working to fill these vacant posts. It is also creating new positions to improve healthcare services for all.
Family planning services also faced problems for three years. The supply of birth control items and important medicines was lower than needed. The health minister said the government is working to fix this. Supplies are expected to return to normal in two to three months.
Bangladesh has 37 government medical colleges with 5,100 seats. There are also 68 private medical colleges with 6,278 seats for students.
A shortage of measles vaccines caused severe outbreaks among children. This happened due to administrative changes in buying vaccines. Bureaucratic problems and ignoring warnings from UNICEF also contributed. Political unrest in 2024 caused delays. The government also cancelled a special measles-rubella campaign planned for 2025.
Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Houssain (Kaikobad) discussed zakat collection. This fiscal year, Tk 70 million was collected as zakat. A portion of this money is in government funds. The rest is in divisional and district offices.
The minister also mentioned efforts to maintain religious harmony. Research and Ifta activities are happening at local levels. These activities involve respected scholars to prevent social conflict. The government may also form a National Ulama Advisory Committee.
In the shipping sector, 252,813 vessels were registered in the country’s first census. State Minister for Shipping Sheikh Rabiul Alam said this. Over the last 35 years, legal action was taken against 47,606 vessels. Cases against 9,935 vessels are still ongoing. During this period, 4,052 people died in waterway accidents. Another 807 people were injured.
