Impact of maternal and child health private: expenditure on poverty and inequity in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has made substantial progress since the 1970s in expanding the coverage of maternal healthcare services, yet maternal mortality remains high, as available but limited data suggest. In this respect, to fill the gap need for updated and reliable data on costs and efficiency of government maternal healthcare services in Bangladesh, a special survey was conducted in 2011, and the current report is built upon the findings of that survey.

Drawn conclusions are that:

• the government in Bangladesh is a major provider of healthcare services, particularly through the sub-district and district hospitals, as well as college hospitals
• however, further improvement in maternal health and in overall health outcomes is needed, which requires that the government increase access to services
• in this framework, further expansion in the delivery infrastructure is necessary, as most facilities are operating at optimal or above-optimal levels of utilisation, with the system as a whole evidencing problems of undersupply
• still, substantial increases in service coverage can be gained through future efficiency gains, even if it does not substantially increase government health expenditures as a share of national income
• nevertheless, a mix of more budgetary funding and further efficiency gains would be the more optimal outcome
• equally important, a routinely track of the efficiency and costs of government healthcare delivery is very recommended