A media workshop in Dhaka has revealed that hypertension was responsible for 52 percent of the 283,000 heart disease deaths recorded in Bangladesh in 2024. The event, titled “Hypertension Control: Progress, Barriers and Way Forward,” was held at the BMA Bhaban and organized by PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI). Twenty-six journalists from print, television, and online media attended the session.

Speakers including GHAI Bangladesh Country Lead Muhammad Ruhul Quddus and PROGGA Executive Director ABM Zubayer emphasized the need for sustainable financing to ensure regular supply of hypertension medicines. According to World Bank data shared at the workshop, only 4.2 percent of the national health budget is allocated to non-communicable disease control, leading to irregular medicine supply in community clinics and upazila health complexes. A World Health Organization report cited during the event stated that consistent medicine availability could significantly improve hypertension management.

Health Directorate Medical Officer Dr. Gita Rani Devi said the government is working to ensure uninterrupted medicine supply and expects all community clinics and upazila complexes to soon be included in the program.