Bangladesh's Healthcare at a Crossroads: Election Hopes Amid USAID Cuts

"Overall, abrupt policy decisions, weak administrative capacity, and neglect of reform have left the sector in a fragile state, depriving many of much-needed care," observed an editorial in Bangladesh's The Daily Star newspaper.

"We hope the next elected government will take it upon itself to rid the sector of these long-standing challenges," it said, adding, "but that doesn't mean that those in charge now should abdicate their responsibility for stabilising services and laying the groundwork for meaningful reform."

Meanwhile, the ripple effect that went around the world following the Trump administration calling a halt to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funds exactly one year ago has rocked Bangladesh, too.

USAID, set up under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, was primarily aimed against the spread of communism during the Cold War by supporting progressive development agendas in other countries.

The abrupt halt of part of Washington's overall foreign assistance, especially USAID-funded programmes, triggered disruptions across Bangladesh's health system.

Impacts were most acute in tuberculosis services, community health and telemedicine, disease surveillance, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs, with knock-on effects during the monsoon and in vulnerable coastal districts.

"Troubles began with the sudden halt of USAID funding in January, which affected the health sector - both directly and indirectly. One immediate setback was the suspension of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh Alliance for Combating Tuberculosis, which was aimed at improving the tuberculosis case detection mechanism," stated the editorial.

Earlier, the newspaper had reported that by May-end, 55 of 59 USAID-funded projects in Bangladesh were shut down, where over 50,000 professionals involved in these projects and linked organisations lost their jobs, and Bangladesh lost development assistance worth USD 700 million.

These projects were linked to education, health, food security, climate change, good governance, and skills development. Others add that Bangladesh's largest telemedicine network, which reportedly served some 1,00,000 patients in 2024, collapsed after USAID funding was pulled down, driven by unpaid workers and failing infrastructure.

Cuts paused disease tracking and emergency response projects just as monsoon season intensified, constraining outbreak detection and response at a time when waterborne and vector‑borne illnesses typically surge.

In the absence of the WASH programme, water and sanitation projects in coastal areas stopped, leaving communities more exposed to contamination and health risks during floods, especially in peak monsoon flooding.

"The situation worsened when the interim government scrapped the proposed fifth Health, Population, and Nutrition Sector Programme (HPNSP), ending a framework that had guided health, nutrition, and family planning services since 1998," claimed The Daily Star editorial.

It lamented that the absence of efficient leadership and long-term planning, a major weakness of our health sector.

The newspaper also pointed out that while there are certain policies widely recognised as pragmatic and necessary to make healthcare efficient, accountable, and accessible to all but little visible effort has been made to translate these proposals into concrete action.

- IANS