Research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), organized a discussion meeting titled “Prioritizing Hypertension Control: Bangladesh Perspective” on Wednesday (May 13) at BMA Bhaban in the capital, marking World Hypertension Day.
According to the Health and Morbidity Status Survey 2025 by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), hypertension ranks first among the top 10 diseases in Bangladesh.
Experts at the event said sustainable financing is crucial to ensure free anti-hypertensive medicines for all and to strengthen control efforts in the 2026-27 fiscal year budget.
It was informed at the discussion meeting that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) currently account for 71% of all deaths in Bangladesh, with hypertension being one of the leading contributing factors. According to the World Health Organization’s 2025 report, 283,800 people in Bangladesh died from cardiovascular diseases in 2024, and 52% of those deaths were attributable to hypertension.
The discussion further noted that although the government has initiated the provision of free anti-hypertensive medicines at the grassroots level, inadequate budget allocation has been hindering uninterrupted supply across all community clinics and upazila health complexes in the country.
Dr Md Enamul Haque, Director General (Additional Secretary), Health Economics Unit, said, “Alongside increasing budget allocation for hypertension control, it is equally important to ensure the effective implementation of the allocated budget.”
Md Khorshed Alam, NDC, Managing Director (Additional Secretary), Community Clinic Health Support Trust, stated, “The government is continuing its efforts to ensure uninterrupted supply of antihypertensive medicines at Community Clinics and Upazila Health Complexes. This initiative will play a positive role in controlling hypertension.”
Dr Lelin Choudhury, public health expert, remarked, “Ensuring free medicine supply for all at the grassroots level will reduce hypertension and hypertension-related diseases and deaths.”
Dr Malay Kanti Mridha, professor at BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, said, “Hypertension can be effectively controlled through research-based treatment and preventive measures.”
Zahirul Alam, executive director of Channel 24, said, “The media can play an important role in raising public awareness about hypertension and encouraging policymakers to take effective measures.”
Professor Dr Shafiun Nahin Shimul, director of the Institute of Health Economics at the University of Dhaka, stated, “Sustainable financing for hypertension control should be considered an effective investment.”
Dr Geeta Rani Devi, Medical Officer, Directorate General of Health Services; Shamsun Naher Nahid, Chief Nutritionist, BIRDEM General Hospital; and ABM Zubair, executive director of PROGGA, also spoke at the event, moderated by Mir Masrur Zaman Rony, Chief News Editor of Channel i. The keynote presentation was delivered by Samiha Bintay Kamal, Program Officer, PROGGA. The session was chaired by Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead, GHAI.