The government plans to use 250 million euros from an existing European Investment Bank (EIB) loan to expand women's health services and strengthen district hospitals, Samakal reports. The programme, called the Women's Health Initiative and planned for 2027 to 2031, aims to bring health care to about 47 million women and girls.
The plan was presented on Saturday at a meeting with international partners on the Charité campus in Berlin during the World Health Summit 2026. Bangladesh's delegation was led by health and family welfare minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain Bokul and the prime minister's special assistant on health, Dr SM Ziauddin Haider.
The programme will focus on maternal and newborn care, early detection of cervical and breast cancer, and emergency obstetric and newborn services. It also plans to strengthen primary care, patient transfer and referral, district hospitals and intensive care.
The money is not a new loan. It is to come from a sovereign EIB loan approved in 2021 for Covid-19 vaccination, pandemic preparedness and health system capacity. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) helped design the programme and will provide technical support during implementation.
The health minister said the health of women and girls is fundamental to the country's future, and the aim is preventive care and good services close to where people live. EIB vice-president Marek Mora said investment in women's health benefits families, communities and the economy. The delegation also visited the Charité hospital's treatment and cancer screening facilities.
Photo: Raimond Spekking / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); the Charité hospital, Berlin
Source: Samakal
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