Two new projects worth a combined 4,435.81 crore taka have been taken up in the health sector, which has long lagged behind in implementing the Annual Development Programme (ADP). The two projects, aimed at tackling tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria, and at expanding maternal and child healthcare and non-communicable disease treatment through community clinics, will together cost 4,435 crore 81 lakh 20 thousand taka.
According to IMED figures, in the outgoing 2025-26 fiscal year, the health services division managed to spend only 31 percent of its ADP allocation, while the health education and family welfare division spent 36.72 percent. Against this backdrop, questions have also emerged over implementation capacity as large new projects are taken up.
The two projects will be presented today for approval at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) at the cabinet room in the secretariat. The meeting, to be chaired by Prime Minister and ECNEC chairman Tarique Rahman, will consider a total of 15 projects across health and other sectors.
According to planning-related data, against a revised ADP of around 2 lakh 9 thousand crore taka for 2025-26, implementation stood at 1 lakh 41 thousand 71 crore 80 lakh taka — meaning 67.52 percent of the total allocation was spent, the lowest in the history of ADP implementation. Health remains one of the most lagging sectors. Even so, its allocation has been significantly increased in the current 2026-27 fiscal year’s ADP. The new ADP allocates 35,530 crore taka to the sector, up from 18,148 crore taka the previous fiscal year — nearly double within a single year. This amounts to 11.86 percent of the total ADP. The key challenge now is how much implementation capacity can be built up to match the increased allocation.
Of the two proposed projects, the “Integrated Health System Response to Fight Against TB, HIV/AIDS and Malaria in Bangladesh” project is budgeted at 4,039 crore taka. It will be implemented by the health services division and the Directorate General of Health Services from July 2026 to June 2029. Around 3,168 crore taka of this will come from the government’s own funding, with about 870 crore taka coming as a grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
A large share of the project’s spending will go toward procuring medical supplies, medicine and vaccines. The proposal earmarks 1,430 crore 46 lakh taka for medical and surgical supplies, and 958 crore 52 lakh taka for medicine and vaccine procurement. Nutritional support will account for 416 crore taka, with 70 crore taka for local training and 146 crore 32 lakh taka for surveys. The project aims to identify and bring around 9 lakh 87 thousand 718 tuberculosis patients into treatment, alongside plans to provide preventive TB treatment to around 1.5 million people. HIV control efforts currently running in 23 priority districts will be expanded to hospitals across all 64 districts, with a target of bringing 85 percent of likely HIV-positive individuals into treatment by the project’s end. Malaria control will focus especially on high-risk areas, including the Chattogram Hill Tracts, where around 90 percent of 2025’s cases were recorded — 41 percent in Bandarban and 36 percent in Rangamati. The project targets bringing the infection rate among at-risk populations below one per thousand and reducing malaria deaths to zero by 2029.
The project evaluation, however, also flagged some weaknesses. According to the project evaluation committee, only 20 percent of previously purchased medical equipment remains functional. It has therefore recommended compiling a full inventory of existing assets before procuring new equipment, along with training on maintenance, repair and usage, and developing a realistic “exit plan” to sustain operations once foreign grant funding ends.
The other project, “Health System Strengthening through MNCH Services Improvement and NCD Control,” is budgeted at 396 crore 81 lakh 20 thousand taka. It will be implemented from July 2026 to June 2028 by the Directorate General of Health Services and the Community Clinic Health Assistance Trust, with 75 crore 77 lakh 94 thousand taka in government funding and a 321 crore 3 lakh 26 thousand taka loan from JICA.
Under this project, services will be strengthened at 14,500 community clinics, 430 upazila health complexes and 30 district hospitals. Alongside maternal, newborn and child healthcare, arrangements will be made at the community level to identify, treat and follow up on non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Plans also include strengthening the referral system for sending patients from community clinics to higher-level institutions. Around 71 percent of all deaths in the country are caused by non-communicable diseases, with heart disease alone accounting for about 34 percent. According to a 2022 survey, the diabetes rate among people aged 25 and older stands at 9.7 percent, and the hypertension rate at 23.5 percent, underscoring the emphasis on early detection and treatment. The project proposes spending 143 crore 21 lakh taka on medical and surgical supplies, 104 crore 37 lakh taka on local training, and 77 crore 15 lakh taka on computers and related equipment, with 8 crore 19 lakh 50 thousand taka for research and 3 crore taka for foreign training.