What a new government chooses to fund, plan for, or ignore in its first months reveals its level of priority or seriousness about its commitments to the people.

Bangladesh’s healthcare system has become capable of meeting the majority of domestic demand, but chronic mismanagement and poor planning are draining nearly four-fifths of the sector’s public spending, according to AM Shamim, general secretary of the Bangladesh Private Hospital, Clinic and Diagnostic Owners Association.

Low allocations for sectors that ensure people’s well-being, such as health, education, agriculture and social safety protection, is unacceptable

In a highly competitive market like the egg market, one would expect prices to remain stable. They can rise, but over time.

Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, professor at the Institute of Health Economics in Dhaka University, talks the allocation for the health sector in the proposed national budget.

By all accounts, healthcare is a policy priority for Bangladesh but compared to other sectors, resource allocation in this sector is quite insufficient.