Experts for double budgetary allocation to health sector

Experts taking part in a virtual press conference on upcoming budget for 2020-21 said health, agriculture and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should get allocations on priority basis to  overcome the impact of the corona pandemic.
It was jointly organized by BRAC, DataSense and Unnayan Shamannay on Monday in the city.
BRAC chairperson Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman presided over the meeting. Its Executive Directors Afis Saleh and KAM Murshid delivered keynote paper.
Ananya Raihan, chief executive officer of the Isocial also presented a note on the occasion. BIDS Senior Research Fellow Dr Nazneen Ahmed and BIGD executive director Imran Matin were also present.
Participants held the view that budgetary allocation on health sector should be increased to 2.0 per cent of the GDP from existing less than 1 percent in the next budget. They also said bottom of the pyramid (BoP) population (poorest two-thirds of the economic human pyramid) should get extra focus in the budget. Their case must be considered on priority basis as they suffered the worst from the pandemic.Dr Atiur Rahman, former governor of Bangladesh Bank, said the upcoming budget must be         a survival budget at a time the coronavirus pandemic may not end suddenly and apparently may prolong to keep on impacting.
He said people are now afraid. Taking these issues into consideration, health insurance for all must be introduced. Besides, the budget allocation for health sector must be at least doubled.
Atiur said, "We have to give equal importance to agriculture and industry. Agriculture and rural economy are the bulwark of our national economy, he said adding that both these sectors have to be given parallel importance in the coming budget.
He said, "We will definitely be able to turn the situation around. We need to move towards green investment and green development for sustainable growth."
Bangladesh needs to raise its health budget gradually to 4.0 per cent to ensure universal health coverage as per the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), he emphasized.  
Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, a noted economist and adviser of a former caretaker government said the whole nation is now in a state of uncertainty and we must know how many people were infected with the Covid-19 and may be infected to devise a recovery strategy.  
He said people must change the mentality and life style. They must comply with hygienic instructions. But people are still crowding at market places and hanging on buses. We must adjust our life with the reality, he said.
The upcoming budget should be a health friendly, poor friendly and focused to skilled development, Dr Nazneen said to increase productive efficiency. Dr Zillur said more money will not suddenly come from the sky; we must adjust expenditure with limited resources. The urban health sector must be high on the agenda, he maintained.