Bangladesh maintained its position at the bottom among 40 countries in the second phase of the Health Inclusion Index released on November 20 by Economist Impact, an arm of The Economist Group and supported by the consumer health company Haleon.
This time, Bangladesh scored only 26.6 out of 100, down from 30.8 in the first phase of the research, with people’s experiences being incorporated in the second phase.
The index is based on three areas; Health in society, inclusive health systems and empowerment of people and communities, where Bangladesh ranked last in all areas.
Bangladesh’s scores and global ranking in the three areas were 36.3 and 40th for health in the society ranking, 22.6 and 40th for inclusive health systems and 22.3 and 40th for health. empowerment of people and communities.
Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, professor at the Institute of Health Economics, University of Dhaka, told the Business Standard: “Even if more countries were added to the index list, Bangladesh would still be last . »
He said: “Health should be the first thing to keep in mind when it comes to implementing policies in all sectors such as agriculture, industry and construction. The required manpower and equipment must be increased, proper moderation and modernization must be ensured. the health system. »
When asked how Bangladesh can improve its index, he added, “It is not possible for Bangladesh to improve its position in the index overnight. The state must immediately begin implementing its policy if it wants to see improvement over the next six months. Bangladesh needs to implement well-guided planning, reform and execution in the internal and external sectors.
“Even if more countries were added to the index list, Bangladesh would still be in the last position.”
By Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, Professor at DU Institute of Health Economics
The report defines “health inclusion” as the process of removing personal, social, cultural and political barriers that prevent individuals and communities from enjoying good physical, mental and social health.
Bangladesh was immediately preceded by Algeria, Egypt, Honduras, Uganda and India as the lowest ranked country in the health inclusion index.
To obtain a robust comparative overview of each country, Economist Impact analyzed data in three areas: Health in Society, Inclusive Health Systems, and Empowering People and Communities, each of which is divided into three additional sub-areas and a total of 58 individual indicators. The report assessed a score from 0 to 100, where 100 = most inclusive.
Australia and Sweden overtake the UK as the most health inclusive countries when population experiences are incorporated into the Health Inclusion Index. The United States, France, Israel, Canada, South Korea, Germany and Thailand complete the top 10 in the second phase of research.
Europe remains the most inclusive region in terms of health. While countries in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia tend to be the least inclusive.
