Staff Correspondent

The prevalence of hypertension, a major risk factor for various critical non-communicable diseases including heart disease and stroke, is increasing in the country. Currently, NCDs are estimated to account for 71 percent of all deaths. The provision of free anti-hypertensive medicine has already started at the grassroots level to deal with this crisis.

However, in some cases, it is not being possible to ensure an uninterrupted supply of the medicine. Sustainable funding remains a major challenge in this regard.

These information and recommendations were highlighted at a virtual workshop for journalists titled “Hypertension Control in Bangladesh: Progress and Way Forward” on 4th November 2024.

The workshop was organized by research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) with support from Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI). Twenty-five journalists from Barishal division working in print, electronic, and online media houses participated in the workshop.

It was informed at the workshop that hypertension is one of the three major causes of death and disability in Bangladesh and currently one in every four adults suffer from the disease. Ensuring the availability of anti-hypertensive medicine at the grassroots level, along with increased allocation for this sector, can be a cost-effective approach to reduce non-communicable diseases and premature deaths. Research shows that investing Tk 1 for hypertension screening and medicines can yield an overall benefit worth Tk 18.

Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead of GHAI and ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA were present at the event as discussants. PROGGA’s Director Md. Shahedul Alam and Coordinator Sadia Galiba Prova delivered presentations on hypertension control.