Efficient & Equitable Health Spending in Bangladesh

Despite modest changes, Bangladesh’s health sector still lacks the prioritisation it truly deserves in the national budget. Limited resource allocations and inefficiencies in fund utilisation are restricting progress in achieving equitable healthcare for all. To make the most of available resources, efficient and fair spending is essential. Dr. Rumana Huque discusses how we can ensure
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Op-Ed: Ensuring equity in health sector

By Professor Rumana Huque & Abdullah M. Rafi Bangladesh today stands as a shining example in global health sector. Two decades ago, more than 400 mothers died for every 100,000 live births; that figure has now fallen by more than half. Similarly, neonatal mortality has dropped from 44 per thousand to 20. This achievement is
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Webinar: Strengthening Urban Health Systems to Respond to the Increasing Prevalence of NCDs

Register here To mark World Diabetes Day 2025, the CHORUS urban health research consortium is bringing together researchers, stakeholders and policymakers from Bangladesh, Nepal and Ghana to share findings, lessons and insights on strengthening urban health systems to respond to the rising crisis in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).  Urbanisation is associated with an increased prevalence of
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Webinar: From Fragmentation to Harmonisation: Strengthening Urban Health Systems through Provider Partnerships and Collaboration

On October 30th, CHORUS successfully hosted the webinar and panel discussion titled “From Fragmentation to Harmonisation: Strengthening Urban Health Systems through Provider Partnerships and Collaboration.”  The session explored how cities can build stronger and fairer health systems, particularly for underserved urban communities. Chaired by Prof. Helen Elsey, CHORUS Co-Director from the University of York, the
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𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐡: 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐩𝐬

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is essential to ensure health equity and the right to healthcare in Bangladesh. Alongside rapid urbanization, the burden of non-communicable diseases is increasing, and the number of urban-poor is rising. Although community clinics and upazila health complexes exist to serve rural populations, people still do not receive adequate and necessary services.
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𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 | 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞

Cities like Dhaka and Khulna are growing fast, but not everyone has equal access to safe, healthy spaces. Through the 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐔𝐒 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭, ARK Foundation is working with women and communities to co-create inclusive urban solutions that make physical activity and wellbeing part of daily life. This is what urban crisis response looks like
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ARK Foundation in News!

Leading Bangladeshi TV channel, ATN Bangla recently featured ARK Foundation and our research article: “The Effect of Adult Smoking Behavior on Children’s Exposure to Secondhand Smoke: An Analysis Based on Salivary Cotinine Levels Among Children in Dhaka and Karachi.” The findings are clear: — 92% of children in Dhaka showed evidence of secondhand smoke (SHS)
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Dissemination Workshop of Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Pilot Project

Recently, adissemination event was held at MIS conference room, Directorate General of Health Services to share findings from the Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Pilot Project, implemented in 6 public hospitals across Cumilla and Dinajpur. The initiative, led by CDC, DGHS with support from World Health Organization (WHO) Bangladesh and ARK Foundation, tested practical approaches including a
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Policy Dialogue on Aligning Outsourcing with Strategic Purchasing in Urban Health Care

Strategic purchasing holds immense potential to bridge service gaps in Bangladesh’s urban primary health care. To explore this pathway, ARK Foundation, in collaboration with the Planning and Research wing of Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, hosted a two-day Policy Dialogue on ‘Aligning Outsourcing with Strategic Purchasing in Urban Health
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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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