In the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2025–26, a reduction in import duties on medical equipment and machinery has been proposed to ensure improved healthcare in the country.
This will apply not only to referral hospitals but also to the establishment of all hospitals with more than 50 beds.
Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed presented the proposed budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, amounting to Tk7,89,999 crore, in a televised speech on Monday.
Additionally, the proposed budget seeks to extend duty and tax exemptions on the import of raw materials for all types of pharmaceutical products, including cancer prevention drugs, and for the production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API).
To boost revenue collection, promote local industries, and serve public interest, full VAT exemption has been granted until June 30, 2023, on the import and local purchase of necessary materials and spare parts used in hospital bed production.
The finance adviser said that in order to bring all citizens under universal health coverage by 2030, emphasis has been placed on expanding healthcare services, improving infrastructure, and recruiting skilled personnel.
Recruitment of doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists, and health assistants has been expedited to fill vacancies in the health sector, and an integrated plan has been adopted to create necessary posts.
To ensure healthcare for the poor, an additional Tk4,166 crore has been proposed for free treatment in the upcoming fiscal year, along with a Tk1,000 crore allocation for the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI).
The adviser further said that if skilled human resources can be developed in the caregiving sector to meet the demands of developed countries, it would not only enhance opportunities for overseas employment but also open new avenues for remittance earnings.
To this end, initiatives have been taken to provide necessary training for caregivers, he added.
Considering the importance of the health sector in national development, the proposed allocation for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the 2025–26 fiscal year stands at Tk41,908 crore.
In comparison, the allocation in the 2024–25 budget was Tk41,407 crore.