United News of Bangladesh

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Tuesday stressed the need for stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors and entrepreneurship to transform Bangladesh's healthcare system. “Increasing budgetary allocations alone would not be enough to improve the country's health sector,” he said while speaking as the special guest at a programme titled "Pathways to Health Entrepreneurship in Bangladesh" held at a hotel in Dhaka. Amir Khosru's first budget lays out his reform agenda for capital market He said effective utilisation of existing resources, coupled with constructive dialogue and policy guidance involving both public and private stakeholders, would play a crucial role in building a sustainable healthcare system. "The initiative to establish a forward-looking and effective advisory coalition for the health sector is a welcome step," he said. Dr Zubaida Rahman, Vice-President of Ziaur Rahman Foundation, attended the event as the chief guest. Highlighting Bangladesh's strengths, the Finance Minister said the country already has capable entrepreneurs, diagnostic centres, private hospitals and a robust pharmaceutical industry. He noted that the 2026-27 national budget includes substantial support for the pharmaceutical sector, particularly for the development of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), including the establishment of a dedicated zone. "The real challenge is how we integrate these significant capabilities into the mainstream healthcare system," he said. The Minister expressed concern over Bangladesh's high out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure, describing it as one of the highest in the world. He said reducing the financial burden on patients would require stronger integration between public and private healthcare providers to deliver affordable and accessible services. Describing healthcare as a fundamental right of every citizen, Amir Khosru said the government is shifting its focus towards primary and preventive healthcare. He said around 100,000 health workers are being deployed to strengthen health awareness and services at the grassroots level. Rather than investing heavily in additional public healthcare infrastructure, the government has adopted a policy of making better use of the expertise and capacity already available in the private sector, he added. The Minister also said the budget offers significant incentives to encourage both local and foreign investors to manufacture healthcare equipment in Bangladesh, adding that the initiative has already received a strong response from entrepreneurs. He expressed confidence that Bangladeshis could become among the world's leading entrepreneurs if provided with appropriate opportunities and supportive policies. "The political philosophy of the present government is private sector-led growth. Our leadership firmly believes in empowering the private sector, and we are working tirelessly to bring about positive change in the country," he said. The Finance Minister said the government's policy support, visionary leadership and the efforts of talented entrepreneurs would together help deliver quality healthcare services to people's doorsteps and make a transformative contribution to the country's health sector.

Fatema Tuz Zohra, the mother of July uprising martyr Abdullah Bin Jahid, on Tuesday met Prime Minister Tarique Rahman along with her cancer-stricken son, Mahmudullah Bin Jisan. She met the Prime Minister at his office at the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat where the Prime Minister also assured her of a job, said a release issued by the Prime Minister's Press Wing. Member Secretary of Amra BNP Poribar Krishibid Mokhsedul Momin Mithun was also present. Abdullah Bin Jahid was shot dead on the night of August 5, 2024, during the July uprising. Two weeks later, the family learned that Jahid's younger brother, Mahmudullah Bin Jisan, had been diagnosed with cancer. Seven months later, the family also lost the children's father.

Persistent heavy rainfall, coupled with hill runoff and high tides in the Karnaphuli River have triggered widespread waterlogging in Chattogram city, severely disrupting normal life and transport. Large parts of the port city remained submerged on Tuesday, leaving office-goers, students, airport-bound passengers, pedestrians and daily wage earners struggling to reach their destinations. A visit to different parts of the city in the morning found knee- to waist-deep water inundating roads in several areas. Many commuters were seen rolling up their trousers or carrying their shoes while wading through floodwaters. Several motorcycles and private vehicles broke down after being submerged, causing traffic congestion on major roads.

Chief Whip Md Nurul Islam on Tuesday called on newly elected lawmakers to work collectively to make the 13th Jatiya Sangsad the most effective Parliament in Bangladesh's history and strengthen its role as the centre of democracy. "We want to see the present Parliament as the best in Bangladesh's history. My expectation from the elected members of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad is that you will make this Parliament more effective and establish it as the centre of democracy," he said. The Chief Whip made the remarks while addressing the seventh briefing session of the Budget Helpdesk 2026, organised by the Budget Analysis and Monitoring Unit (BAMU) at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. Members of the newly elected 13th Parliament attended the briefing. During his presentation, Nurul Islam explained the constitutional mandates and functions of the parliamentary standing committees, including the Committee on Public Accounts, the Committee on Public Estimates and the Committee on Public Undertakings. He said the effective functioning of these standing committees is essential for ensuring parliamentary accountability, maintaining financial discipline and strengthening good governance. The Chief Whip stressed that active participation, a sense of responsibility and greater engagement of Members of Parliament in committee activities are indispensable for building an effective legislature. He also emphasised that parliamentary oversight through the standing committees plays a vital role in improving transparency and accountability in public administration. The eighth briefing session featured State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, who spoke on budget allocations for institutions under the Local Government Division at different administrative levels. Officials of the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat and other stakeholders were present at the programme.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Tuesday reaffirmed Bangladesh’s continued commitment to the BIMSTEC process and reiterated its resolve to further advance regional cooperation during Bangladesh’s Chairmanship of BIMSTEC. Reiterating to the government’s foreign policy priority of “Bangladesh First,” she underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation in priority areas, including trade and investment, connectivity, energy, climate change, and people-to-people contacts, with a view to delivering tangible benefits to the peoples of the region. The issues were discussed when Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Indra Mani Pandey called on the State Minister Shama Obaed Islam at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Opposition Leader in Parliament and Jamaat Ameer Dr Md Shafiqur Rahman on Tuesday sought China's support for an early resolution of the Rohingya crisis and the repatriation of the displaced Myanmar nationals to their homeland. He made the request when Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen met him at his office-cum-residence in Dhaka. The two leaders held cordial and fruitful discussions on a range of issues relating to the mutual interests of Bangladesh and China, said a press release of the Parliament Secretariat. They expressed optimism that the longstanding friendship between the two countries would continue to grow stronger, particularly in the fields of economic cooperation, politics, trade and diplomacy. Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to working together to further accelerate bilateral cooperation and promote development and shared prosperity. The meeting included detailed discussions on the proposed Teesta Barrage Mega Project, the China-Myanmar-Bangladesh Economic Corridor, Chinese investment in Bangladesh and several proposed development projects. Both sides underscored the significance of the historic friendship between Bangladesh and China, describing it as a key pillar for promoting the welfare of the two peoples, expanding bilateral trade, strengthening development cooperation and enhancing cultural exchanges. They expressed hope that Bangladesh-China relations would become deeper and more multifaceted in the years ahead.

The government is planning to announce the election schedule for local government polls in the second half of August and begin Union Parishad (UP) elections in the first half of October, said Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Broadcasting Dr Zahed Ur Rahman said on Tuesday. The adviser came up with the announcement  at a press briefing at the conference room of Press Information Department (PID) at Secretariat on the progress of the government's activities. The Election Commission (EC) has prepared preliminary roadmaps for separate local government elections including Union Parishads, Upazila Parishads, municipalities and city corporations. “These are expected to be finalised and published by the end of this month," he said. The local government elections will be conducted in phases across four geographical zones—haor and northeastern region, hill and coastal areas, riverine and char regions, and plain and urban areas, he said. The election process will begin with Union Parishad polls in the haor and northeastern regions, said Dr Zahed. Elections require considerable preparation and that the government prefers to hold most polls during the dry winter season, he added. Clarifying the expected timeline for completing the entire local government election process, the adviser said, "The elections are expected to begin in October. Once the process starts, it usually takes 10 to 12 months to complete all phases. This does not mean the elections will finish within 10 to 12 months from now, but rather within 10 to 12 months from the start of polling," he said. If the elections begin in October this year, the entire local government election process is expected to be completed by around October 2027, he added.

Vice President of Ziaur Rahman Foundation and eminent physician Dr Zubaida Rahman on Tuesday urged the country’s youth to develop practical, evidence-based solutions to address the country's growing health challenges.  . The government wants to utilise the ideas and innovative thinking of the younger generation to improve healthcare services, she said while addressing a workshop titled “Pathways to Becoming Health Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh” as the chief guest at a hotel in the capital. "For this, plans are being taken to provide training to young people. Alongside creating health entrepreneurs at the local level, arrangements will also be made to develop skilled healthcare workers. This will help improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare services at the grassroots level," she said. Dr Zubaida said becoming a health entrepreneur does not mean starting a company or commercialising healthcare. "It means using creativity, evidence and discipline to solve real health problems. It also means identifying gaps and creating practical solutions," she said. She said Bangladesh has a unique opportunity in this regard as the country has a large young population whose energy, digital skills, creativity and sense of social responsibility are among the nation's greatest assets. "We can provide young people with training and mentorship opportunities so that they can transform their ideas into reality. For this, they need to be connected with healthcare systems, researchers, social and private sector innovators, investors and government institutions," she said. She said universities can play an important role by creating an environment where students learn through practical experiences and teachers work collaboratively across different disciplines. "Therefore, the new generation needs to be prepared to face potential challenges and take innovative initiatives," she added. Dr Zubaida said the government is working to identify and address existing gaps in the healthcare sector, considering access to healthcare as a fundamental right of people. She said non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing in Bangladesh, while several challenges remain in the healthcare sector particularly in women and child healthcare. Effective measures are being taken by identifying these gaps, she added. Highlighting the link between illness and poverty, Dr Zubaida said healthcare is not a privilege but a fundamental right. "However, due to years of neglect and lack of accountability in the healthcare sector, people in Bangladesh have to bear around 72 percent of healthcare expenses from their own pockets. As a result, illness has become one of the major causes of poverty," she said. She said the government is now working to ensure healthcare for all, with one of its key goals being to take healthcare services to every household. Dr Zubaida said Bangladeshis have faced poverty, disasters, diseases, displacement and oppression for various reasons but have always shown courage in overcoming challenges. "The current government is working with a focus on disease prevention and health awareness. To achieve this goal, trained healthcare workers are being deployed at villages and households to identify diseases such as diarrhoea, hypertension, diabetes, malnutrition and other health problems at an early stage," she said. She further said Bangladesh is currently facing new health challenges, including rising non-communicable diseases, an ageing population, climate change-related risks and changing lifestyles due to urbanisation. "These challenges cannot be addressed by any single institution or sector alone. They require new thinking and new partnerships," she said. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain and Health Affairs Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr SM Ziauddin Hyder, among others, attended the programme.

Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Broadcasting Zahed Ur Rahman on Tuesday described National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam’s remarks over the bomb blast during the party’s rally in Savar as “political”. He made the remarks while responding to questions at a press briefing on the progress of various government activities at the Press Information Department (PID) conference room at Secretariat. When asked about Nahid Islam’s allegation that at the bomb attack on the NCP rally was carried out with the support of the administration, Zahed Ur Rahman said,Yesterday’s incident was very unfortunate. We condemn it. The government’s main responsibility is to investigate who were involved in the incident and bring them to justice.” Referring to Nahid’s statement, the adviser said, “There is a term called political statement and he has made such a statement. He has the right to say that.” However, he said, “We expect a more responsible statement from the head of a political party who played a very important role in our mass uprising.” Responding to a question on why no one has been arrested yet in connection with the incident, Zahed said the government is investigating the matter and efforts are underway to arrest those involved. “The incident has not even been 24 hours old. It is not always possible to complete such a process immediately. The government is making its best efforts to make arrests, and hopefully it will happen soon,” he said.  “The important issue is whether the government is taking the matter seriously and taking necessary measures. I can confirm that this government is doing so,” he said.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen and members of his delegation met Commerce, Industries, Textiles and Jute Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir at a breakfast meeting in Sylhet on Tuesday, where they discussed the region's development, investment opportunities and the contribution of Bangladeshi expatriates in the United States. The meeting, held at a hotel in the city, focused on Sylhet's development, the role of Bangladeshi expatriates, particularly the Sylheti diaspora in the US, the potential of the tourism sector, digital technology, and ways to expand bilateral trade and investment. Speaking after the meeting, the commerce minister said the two sides exchanged views on Sylhet's rich cultural heritage, the prospects of its tourism industry and opportunities to accelerate the region's development by drawing on the United States' technological expertise. They also held discussions on strengthening Bangladesh-US relations, expanding trade and economic cooperation, increasing US investment in Bangladesh, particularly in the Sylhet region, and further enhancing people-to-people ties between the two countries. The minister expressed hope that such meetings and exchanges would help deepen the longstanding friendship between Bangladesh and the United States while promoting stronger economic cooperation and shared development. Among those present at the meeting were lawmaker MA Malek, Tahsina Rushdir Luna, Emran Ahmed Chowdhury and Mufti Abul Hasan, Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury, Sylhet Development Authority Chairman Rezaul Hasan Qayes Lodhi, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Pinki Saha, and Sylhet Metropolitan BNP General Secretary Emdad Hossain Chowdhury.