The £65 million Better Health in Bangladesh (BHB) program was successfully completed today at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, which was celebrated by the British High Commission in Dhaka, UNFPA Bangladesh, and important implementing partners, according to BSS.
Since its launch in 2018, this UK flagship health initiative has made a substantial contribution to improving the health outcomes of Bangladeshis, according to a UNFPA press release.
Senior government officials, representatives from NGOs, development partners, academics, and beneficiaries attended the occasion.
Better Health in Bangladesh (BHB) programme has also supported the government of Bangladesh’s 4th Health Population Nutrition Sector Programme (HPNSP) through Multi-Donor Trust Funds (MDTF), managed by the World Bank. As the largest bilateral contributor, the UK provided $37 million to incentivise the implementation of 16 disbursement-linked indicators to enhance maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) and family planning (FP) services.
In addition to MDTF, BHB’s implementing partners, including UNFPA, WHO, Management Sciences for Health (MSH), and icddr,b played a crucial role in providing technical assistance, generating knowledge, and strengthening health systems.
Their collaborative efforts included delivering sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services, digitalising health systems, building capacities, and developing strategies to address emerging health challenges. The programme also allocated over £12 million to support Bangladesh’s national COVID-19 response.
The BHB program has helped deliver 18,37,682 infants safely, saved 2,835 maternal deaths, and given 347,519 women access to contemporary family planning services during the last seven years. It also certified 10,345 pharmacies and drugstores, examined nearly a million women for cervical cancer, and guaranteed nutritional treatment for 420,000 young infants.
Over 5 million people were vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccinations given by the UK thanks to the program’s training of 18,651 service providers and community leaders in advanced digital health systems and how to respond to climate-related health shocks. The programme’s achievements have made a significant impact on reducing preventable deaths, improving health outcomes, and tackling critical issues such as antimicrobial resistance and the effects of climate change on health. At the event, representatives from the UK and its implementing partners reaffirmed their commitment to continuing support for Bangladesh’s health systems and advancing collaborative efforts to address future health challenges.
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