While Bangladesh as a country has commendable achievements in terms of health-related development indicators, there is significant scope of improvement in public investment for healthcare. Total investment in health (public and private combined) in Bangladesh is equivalent to 2.34 percent of the GDP. This ratio is lesser than half of the average for South Asia (on an average a South Asian country invests 5.1 percent of its GDP for health). Per capita health expenditure (PPP, current US dollar) in South Asia is US$ 401, whereas for Bangladesh the figure stands to be a meager US$ 110.

All these indicate, the need for Bangladesh to rethink public investment in health as the country graduates to the ‘developing’ status in a couple of years and aims to become a high-income country within the next couple of decades.