Bangladesh’s Health Sector Reform Commission has proposed creating a Bangladesh Health Commission to oversee the quality, scale and accountability of health services. The proposed body would supervise public health, hospital and diagnostic services, medical and allied education, staffing conditions, procurement complaints and financial and administrative accountability. It would oversee three directorates: hospital and diagnostic services, public health, and medical and allied education.

The commission recommends that the Health Commission report directly to the head of government and operate independently of the ministry, while implementation agencies remain separate from the oversight body. Its members would include specialists in public health, epidemiology, law, gender, economics, accounting, engineering, planning, clinical care, hospital management, nursing and paramedical services. The proposal received support in meetings with three political parties, three medical associations, representatives of nurses and paramedics, and students. A Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics survey found 72 percent of respondents supported the institutional framework.

The recommendations include a separate public health directorate, free universal primary health care, referral-based higher-level treatment, and stronger hospital support services. The commission also proposes allocating 5 percent of GDP to health care and introducing social health insurance for formal-sector workers.