Progress of health-related SDGs in Bangladesh: A mid-term evaluation study

(excerpts from proposal)

The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, i.e., the SDGs have 17 Goals and 169 targets, was passed by UN General Assembly on 25 September 2015, and crafted the path of development for the next 15 years. Health is a key component of these goals (SDG 3), prioritizing healthy lives and promoting well-being for all to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). SDG 3 has 13 targets, with UHC at its centre, and is linked to many other goals and targets in an integrated manner. In order to move towards UHC, WHO recommends reorienting health systems using a primary health care (PHC) approach. ‘PHC is central to achieving UHC and health-related SDGs as enshrined in the 2018 Astana Declaration and WHO’s South-East Asia regional strategy’ respectively.

 

Thanks to the “pluralistic” health system, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in human health and well-being rapidly in recent times, under resource constraints. This has also been reflected in the last SDG progress report. For example, under-five mortality declined from 36 per 1,000 live births in 2015 to 29 in 2018, and the neonatal mortality rate decreased from 20 in 2015 to 16 per 1,000 live births in 2018. This progress aligns with the Global Action Plan (GAP), which identifies seven accelerator themes (‘SDG accelerators are initiatives voluntarily undertaken to accelerate the SDG implementation by governments and any other non-state actors - individually or in partnership’) for advancing health-related SDG targets.

 

Further, the government has aligned its national (8^th 5-yr plan) and health sector (5^th Health Nutrition Population Sector Program (HNPSP)) planning and strategies with the SDG 3 Global Action Plan (GAP) accelerators. Through this alignment, and prioritizing primary healthcare, sustainable financing, and multisectoral action to address health determinants, it has been trying to enhance collective efficiency and effectiveness in achieving its health-related SDGs.

 

World Health Organization (WHO) has been continuously supporting Bangladesh in advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing technical support in monitoring, reporting and capacity building, including progress tracking through ‘SDG tracker’. WHO has commissioned a study to take stock of the SDG-related activities implemented so far and consolidate further efforts to facilitate achieving UHC by 2030. Findings from this mid-term evaluation are also expected to provide a strategic direction on how to implement the 8th Five Year Plan, which is fully aligned with the SDGs.