Safeguarding and Gender in Public Health Research: Reflections from the Field

Abdullah M. Rafi, Samina Huque Read PDF here   Safeguarding has increasingly become a central concern in public health research. At ARK Foundation, we see it not just as a set of rules, but as a commitment to ensuring the safety and dignity of everyone, spanning from researchers to office staff, across every stage of
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#ARKPodcast: From Ideas to Impact: The Innovation Fund Story

We’re excited to bring you the latest episode of the ARK Podcast! Join our host Abdullah M. Rafi as he sits down with Mr. Badruddin Saify, Research Associate at ARK, to talk about his inspiring Innovation Fund journey – early challenges, key learnings, and the drive to make research impactful.  Tune in for insights, reflections,
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Development of a Framework for Establishing Maternity Insurance in Bangladesh

Download Report Bangladesh is preparing to introduce a maternity insurance scheme by 2026, aligning with its National Social Security Strategy. This report presents an evidence-based framework tailored to the country’s healthcare and labour realities, especially for low-income and informal sector women. Drawing on national data and international best practices, it outlines a universal, mandatory, and
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Report on Roundtable on ‘Health Budget FY2025-26: Expectations & Realities’

Download PDF Report on Roundtable on ‘Health Budget FY2025-26: Expectations & Realities’ The national budget for FY 2025–26 in Bangladesh carries significant importance, as the country stands at a critical juncture in its journey toward a new era. Under the leadership of the interim government, Finance Advisor Dr. Saleh Uddin Ahmed unveiled a Tk 790
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Harnessing mHealth to End TB: A Digital Prescription for a Persistent Challenge

Abdullah Muhammad Rafi, Shakhawat Hossain Rana Read PDF here Let’s start the story with a few numbers. First of all, every year, 379,000 people in Bangladesh are newly affected by Tuberculosis, that’s more than 1,000 cases a day, and out of the almost four hundred thousand patients, more than 44,000 people die each year. Imagine
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How Active are the Residents of Dhaka? Perceptions and Challenges in Maintaining Physical Activity in Urban Bangladesh

By Umme Salma Anee, CHORUS Research Assistant, ARK Foundation To implement a CHORUS Innovation Fund project in Bangladesh, the team at ARK Foundation has been working with a diverse range of stakeholders, including policy makers, community leaders, teachers, Imams, youth groups, adolescents, guardians, pregnant women, elderly women, and people with physical challenges, to address barriers
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Roundtable on ‘Health Budget FY2025-26: Expectations and Realities’

PDF Version The health sector is facing major budgetary challenges due to flawed preparation processes that fail to identify priorities, leading to insufficient fund allocation and poor utilization, experts said. They also said there is a lack of managerial efficiency, as well, in implementing health budget. these insights were shared at a roundtable discussion titled
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Low budget or management flaws? Experts flag inefficiency in health spending

PDF Version Highlights: Flawed preparation blamed for failing to identify priorities Despite potential, primary healthcare underfunded Managerial inefficiency hampers fund utilisation NCDs underprioritised despite rising deaths Women, child health budget cut again Need skilled managers, better planning Private sector unregulated, inequitable care Budget usually slashed significantly in revisions The health sector is facing major budgetary
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Trapped by Tobacco: The Industry’s Grip and Our Responsibility

Fahmida Farzana PDF Version Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. To make up these “lost consumers”, the industry goes after the youth as their next target. Today’s young people are the next generation of “lifelong customers”, and most tobacco users start smoking before they become adults. Over time, tobacco companies’ tactics to
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Fighting TB on the Frontlines: Voices from the Ground

Abdullah M. Rafi Read the PDF Version Mr. Mahmud (pseudonym), 59, the Tuberculosis & Leprosy Controller Assistant (TLCA) at one of the TB centers on the outskirts – a 70-kilometer drive from the capital Dhaka – reflecting on his journey in combating TB, asserted that if people stopped using tobacco products, the number of TB
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