With Bangladesh looking ahead eagerly towards a new political chapter, and with numerous parties and leaders expressing their views on the best course of action for the nation, there are several issues that must stand above partisan divides.

Of those, ensuring better healthcare for the people of this country must be placed at the centre of the next government’s agenda.

It is truly shocking that quality, affordable care has become a distant dream for most people. While we cannot expect our healthcare system to transform overnight, what we do need is acceptance that we are lagging behind, and then for the government to begin addressing the issues that plague it immediately.

As things stand, Bangladesh’s health system remains underfunded and overstretched, with the sector spending below 3% of GDP - far short of benchmarks. Such chronic underinvestment is the reason why citizens continue to shoulder soaring medical costs out of pocket, pushing countless families into poverty.

In particular, healthcare is where the inequities within the country are particularly stark, with urban centres enjoying better-equipped hospitals while rural clinics routinely struggle with shortages of doctors, medicines, and diagnostic tools.

However, with a country’s doctor-to-patient ratio that remains among the lowest in South Asia, it is the entire system that has all but failed the people, resulting in a population perpetually weakened.

From raising health expenditure to expanding primary care facilities in rural areas, from ensuring medicines and diagnostics are available to starting to introduce health insurance schemes to reduce household burdens - these are all steps that can be taken moving forward.

Equally vital is investment in medical education alongside more robust preventive campaigns so that we are not always playing catch-up when healthcare crises are upon us.

Healthcare should never be a privilege, and the next government must recognize that investing in health is investing in our future.