DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2019.v07i12.047

Pages: 4061-4072

Introduction: Health is currently universally considered a very important index of human development. Unhealthiness is each the cause and impact of financial condition, illiteracy and cognitive content. The government of Bangladesh occupies substantial amounts of resources on health services but dissatisfaction is often expressed over availability and quality of these services. Objective: To find out the Public Health facilities utilization and Burden of Treatment in Bangladesh. Methods: The data for the present study mainly comes from the field survey of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) conducted during May 16, 2019 in connection with the study “Public Service Delivery Systems in Bangladesh: Governance Issues in the Health Sector.” The study is based on primary data collection and interviews in each of the seven divisions of the country in a range of facilities selected randomly at the district level and below. Data collection was carried out during Jun to August 2019.The findings show that, in general, women and the poor are more likely to use these facilities. The study notes that although physical accessibility is no longer a major barrier, economic accessibility remains as a major hurdle. Results: The poorest are the largest users of public health facilities but they also bear a disproportionate share of the burden of ill health and sufferings. There also exist a number of governance issues which contribute to poor quality of services. The findings from the quantitative and qualitative data reveal that government efforts to improve health service delivery have not yet produced the desired results. Conclusion: Rebuilding hope among the patients requires that urgent governance issues be addressed to ensure that service providers are available at the facilities, minimum amount of drugs reach the patients and unofficial payments are at the lowest possible levels.