Staff Correspondent 

 World Health Day 2025 has been observed this year with  the theme “Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures.” To mark the occasion, research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) organized a webinar titled “Controlling Hypertension to Safeguard Public Health: Bangladesh Perspective” on Wednesday , with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI). It was informed during the webinar that hypertension and various other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 71% of total deaths in Bangladesh, yet the budgetary allocation to combat NCDs comprises only 4.2% of the total health budget. To address this alarming situation, it is imperative to increase the allocation for this sector in the upcoming budget for FY 2025-26.According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report published in 2024, one of Bangladesh’s primary goals for addressing NCDs is to ensure that 80% of health facilities (both public and private) are equipped with essential medicines necessary for treating significant NCDs by 2025. The report also revealed that despite Bangladesh’s commitment to combat NCDs as part of Primary Health Care (PHC), allocations and fund utilization in this regard have yet to match the mandate.It was further mentioned at the webinar that while the provision of free medicine has already commenced to combat the prevalence of hypertension, it is essential to ensure the medicine’s availability in all Community Clinics and Upazila Health Complexes of the country along with sustainable funding required for this purpose.  Dr. Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Line Director, Community Based Health Care (CBHC), said at the webinar, “The government has taken initiatives to provide anti-hypertensive medicine through Community Clinics along with Upazila Health Complexes. Currently there is a slight shortage of these medicines but we are hopeful about resolving the issue soon.” Dr. Abu Jamil Faisel, President Elect, Public Health Association of Bangladesh, said, “Dietary habit and lifestyle modification is essential alongside an increased budget to effectively reduce the prevalence of hypertension.”Dr. Malay Kanti Mridha, Professor of BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health of BRAC University, said, “Research has shown significant differences in the prevalence of hypertension in Bangladesh based on region, age, education and gender. Curative and preventive measures must be taken according to research findings to control hypertension”Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead of GHAI, said, “Anti-hypertensive medicines must be ensured at Upazila Health Complex and Community Clinics by increasing budgetary allocation.”

The webinar was chaired by PROGGA’s Executive Director ABM Zubair and moderated by PROGGA’s Coordinator Sadia Galiba Prova. People of different professions from different regions of the country participated.