In the health sector, a strong civil society voice has the potential to influence and positively impact on social exclusion and health inequity through stronger participation, active monitoring and increased accountability and transparency. It can also play a role in refocusing healthcare systems according to health rights and social welfare goals to impact quality of life of the citizens and also provide citizens the power, especially the marginalized and poor, to influence policy decisions.
In the vacuum created by the absence of a strong, thriving civil society movement in the early 2000, Bangladesh Health Watch (BHW) was established in 2006 as a multi-stakeholder civil society body dedicated to improve the health system in Bangladesh through evidence-based critical review of policies and programmes, and recommend appropriate actions for change.
BHW began with the publication of a series of reports, the BHW Reports, which identified the most critical challenges to the health sector at particular points of time and published insightful situation analyses leading to practical recommendations, based on evidence from existing secondary resources and primary research. BHW is also engaged to gather evidence through regular research for evidence based advocacy on topical issues to improve the situation related to quality of care, accountability and equity. BHW is poised to form Regional Chapter at district level which will act as citizens’ platform to hold government (and other actors) accountable for their major health sector commitments their catchment areas.
A country where all citizens are able to achieve optimum health through policies and programmes based on evidence and citizens’ voice.
To provide a strong platform through which health care professionals and programmers, researchers and citizens can get their voices heard and thereby influence policies and programmes impacting citizens’ health.
BHW objectives:
