SHRINKING THE STATE: THE RISE OF PRIVATE SECTOR HEALTHCARE IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

Since the 1980s, most developing countries have been following market-oriented liberalising policy reforms and have prioritized private sector-led growth. Bangladesh's inability to provide quality healthcare services, along with issues pertaining to limited resources, absenteeism, poor governance, and lack of accountability in its public healthcare system have created wide gaps that are increasingly being filled by the private sector. This has been fuelled by the state's investment in medical education and training of public sector physicians while simultaneously permitting them to practice privately, as well as the provision of grants and subsidies. The growth of this sector has limited benefits for the improvement of people's health. The government should take a comprehensive approach and engage its political will to make changes in management and governance and bring in stewardship to revitalise the public sector. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.