Bangladesh

The Bangladesh country profile provides an overview of the community health system in Bangladesh according to the most up-to-date policies available. It particularly focuses on the country’s community health providers, the structures that support them, and the services they deliver across many health areas – with a spotlight on family planning. The profile is targeted towards policymakers, program implementers, donors, researchers, and others interested in the country’s community health system.

The table below captures key information from the full, downloadable country profile. The complete CHS Catalog data set is also available for download, including information for Bangladesh.

Community Health Quick Stats

Main Community Health Policy / Strategy | Last Updated
  • Health, Population & Nutrition Sector Strategic Plan 2011–2016, Third Draft | 2010
  • National Urban Health Strategy | 2011
  • Operational Plan Community-Based Health Care July 2011–June 2016; Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Development Programme | 2011
  • Operational Plan Essential Service Delivery July 2011–June 2016; Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Development Programme | 2011
Number of Community Health Provider Cadres

3 main cadres

  • Community health care provider (CHCP) 
  • Family welfare assistant (FWA)
  • Health assistant (HA)
Recommended Number of Community Health Providers
  • 13,500 CHCPs
  • Information not available
  • Information not available
Estimated Number of Community Health Providers
  • 13,622 CHCPs1
  • 23,500 FWAs2
  • 19,279 HAs2
Recommended Ratio of Community Health Providers to Beneficiaries
  • 1 CHCP : 1 community clinic, or approximately 6,000 people
  • 1 FWA : 500 couples
  • Information not available
Community-Level Data Collection Yes
Levels of Management of Community-Level Service Delivery

National, district, upazila, union, ward
Key Community Health Program(s)

Community Based Health Care (CBHC); Health, Population, and Nutrition Sector Development Program (HPNSDP); Urban Primary Health-Care Project (UPHCP); additional programs operated by NGOs

1 As of June 2016.
2 As of 2012.

Key Policies and Strategies

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Directorate General of Drug Administration, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. 2016. National Drug Policy 2016 with Essential Drug List and OTC List (accessed June 2017).

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Directorate General of Health Services. 2016. Community Based Health Care.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Directorate General of Health Services, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. 2011a. Operational Plan Community Based Health Care July 2011– June 2016; Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Development Programme. Dhaka: Directorate General of Health Services (accessed June 2017).

———. 2011b. Operational Plan Essential Service Delivery July 2011–June 2016; Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Development Programme. Dhaka: Directorate General of Health Services (accessed June 2017).

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. 2011. Strategic Plan for Health, Population & Nutrition Sector 2011–2016, Third Draft (accessed June 2017).

———. 2011a. Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Development Program (2011–2016); Program Implementation Plan Volume 1 (accessed June 2017).

———. 2011b. National Health Policy (accessed June 2017).

———. 2016. Bangladesh Essential Health Service Package (ESP) (accessed June 2017).

Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Local Government Division, and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. 2011. National Urban Health Strategy 2011 (accessed June 2017).