Review of policy/strategy/legal docs of the government relevant to the UHC agenda following award of the RF THS grants
| S/N | Key policy/strategy/legal documents relevant to UHC agenda following award of RF THS grants | Stated objective(s)/strategy(ies) | Implementation activities/plans |
| 1 | Healthcare Financing Strategy 2012–2032 (HEU/MoHFW | Formulated with three main objectives: (1) generate more resources, (2) improve equity in service delivery and (3) enhance efficiency in resource utilisation. | To be implemented in three time bound periods—short term, medium term and long term to cover the entire population gradually by 2032. – Tax-funded publicly financed healthcare, safety net scheme, community-based health insurance and so on, planned to reach this goal. |
| 2 | National Health Protection Act 2014 (MoHFW) | To provide a legal framework to support HCFS 2012–2032 | The draft act identified national health protection authorities, accreditation committee, source and mechanism of fund, services, providers and beneficiaries to be finalised for enabling the implementation of HCFS 2012–2032 |
| 3 | SSK pilot 2015 (HEU/MoHFW) | A social health protection scheme developed to enrol BPL beneficiaries in providing outpatient and inpatient services from selected public sector health facilities | Covered randomly selected nine unions and two paurashavas of three pilot upazilas using probability sampling approach |
| 4 | Bangladesh National Health Accounts 1997–2015 (HEU/MoHFW) | The main objective is to inform national policymakers and other stakeholders of the magnitude and profile of health spending, bedsides capacity development for analysing health accounts using standard methodology. To develop capacity to analyse health accounts and produce report at regular intervals, since need of significant steps that have to be taken for reducing households OOP health-related expenditures and also to address regional disparities in health expenditure | NHA tracks the total health expenditure in Bangladesh between the fiscal years 1997 and 2012, cross-stratified and categorised by source of financing and classification of providers, and function on an annual basis; the current one is the fifth one in a row. |
| 5 | National Strategic Planning of Quality of Care for Health Service Delivery 2015 (General Economics Division/Planning Commission, GoB) | To define, measure and improve the quality of services delivered through a comprehensive approach | An implementation plan and required organisational structure has been outlined to address the core objectives |
| 6/7 | Bangladesh Health Workforce strategy 2016–2020; Workforce Strategy 2013–2023 (Human Resource Management Unit/MoHFW) | To make available appropriately trained, motivated, adequate number of workforce for attainment of health-related SDGs and UHC. The actions needed outlined as the short-term (2016–2017), medium-term (2018–2021) and long-term (2022–2030) actions | Capacity development activities to improve skills-mix, quality assurance, task shifting, accreditation, training; developed a Workforce Plan aligned with projected need to close the existing gaps; to promote evidence-based decision making, develop central HWF information system; promote and maintain high standards in performance |
| 8 | Seventh Five Year Plan 2016–2020 (General Economics Division/Planning Commission, GoB) | To deliver quality health services for all; to achieve adequate and stable supply of safe and nutritious food for everyone, especially women and children; to reduce the fertility rate; to strengthen capacities of the Community Clinics, Upazila health complexes and district hospitals | Plans to improve health outcome indicators from current levels |
| 9/10 | Launching post-graduation departments on public health/informatics in Universities | Courses on MPH and Informatics (BSMMU), and Master of Informatics (BUHS) started, respectively, in public and private universities | Course curriculum developed, faculty recruited and trained and courses offered |
| 11 | Development and use of e-platforms | Launching e-platforms for provision and monitoring of healthcare service delivery | DHIS2 developed and launched |
BPL, below poverty line; DHIS2, District Health Information System 2; GoB, Government of Bangladesh; HCFS, Health Care Financing Strategy; HEU, Health Economics Unit; MoHFW, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; MPH, Master of Public Health; OOP, out-of-pocket; RF THS, Rockefeller Foundation Transforming Health System; SDGs, sustainable development goals; SSK, Shasthyo Surokhasha Karmasuchi; UHC, Universal Health Coverage.