Non-communicable diseases account for over 71 per cent of total deaths in Bangladesh, with nearly 51 percent being premature, posing a major obstacle to economic productivity and sustainable development, a high-level coordination committee meeting was told on Monday.
The first meeting of the “Coordination Committee” formed for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was held at the Cabinet Division conference room in the Secretariat. Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani chaired the meeting, while Health Services Division Secretary Md Kamruzzaman Chowdhury conducted the proceedings.
Senior secretaries and secretaries from 35 ministries and divisions that signed a joint declaration on NCD prevention were present.
The cabinet secretary identified NCD prevention and control as one of the government’s top priorities, calling for innovative measures beyond conventional thinking and specific, time-bound action plans.
“The public must engage in walking and physical labour to stay healthy. I have seen in some countries that people are encouraged to walk at least 3 kilometres daily. If we can make people understand that prevention is more important than medicine or treatment, non-communicable diseases will decrease,” he said.
The meeting was jointly organised by the Health Services Division and the Cabinet Division, with technical cooperation from the World Health Organization (WHO) Bangladesh. WHO Bangladesh Representative Ahmed Jamsheed Mohammad attended as a special guest and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to providing all necessary technical assistance.
A historic “Joint Declaration” was signed on 20 August 2025, with the participation of 35 ministries and divisions. In continuation, a gazette was published on 19 January 2026, forming this coordination committee under the cabinet secretary’s leadership to ensure a “whole-of-government” approach.
The meeting decided that every ministry and division will nominate a senior officer as a focal point within one month for implementing, coordinating, and reporting progress on the joint declaration. Orientation will be provided to the nominated focal points on evidence-based, cost-effective measures, WHO-recommended interventions, and implementation guidance.
Within the next one to three months, all ministries and divisions will formulate their sector-specific action plans, including implementation monitoring frameworks, measurable indicators, and progress review mechanisms.
The meeting identified several areas of cooperation, including providing policy guidance on “Health in All Policies” to ensure NCD prevention is given importance in all development plans, creating mass public awareness through whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, and ensuring necessary financial allocations, skilled human resources, and technical assistance for successful implementation.
Regular monitoring through specific, measurable indicators, identifying and removing implementation challenges, and providing strategic guidance were also emphasised. The committee will evaluate annual integrated progress reports and approve priority activities for the following year.
WHO provided technical cooperation for the meeting, which was attended by the Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services and senior officials from various ministries.
