The consultation meeting and policy dialogue on Essential Service Package (ESP) implementation in Bangladesh’ was organized by the Planning Wing of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), with the technical support from World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank (WB) on 29 January 2017 in Dhaka. The event promoted a common understanding of the role of ESP in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also provided a platform to identify policy opportunities to effectively address service delivery requirements in rural and urban areas.
The first half of the day was a consultation with stakeholders in ESP implementation, which included government officials, representatives from the private sector, civil society, professional organizations, media and development partners. The afternoon was a policy dialogue with senior ranked officials on key issues such as service delivery in public and private sector, financing of the package, allocation of resources and quality of care. International experts on health systems from WHO and World Bank were invited to share country experiences and advise on implementation challenges.
Participants agreed that a dedicated team will be formed to develop the ESP implementation plan and costing; integrate the activities in the Operational Plans; coordinate and advocate for resources; and to monitor ESP implementation in the country. A policy brief based on expert inputs and the consultation process will be jointly developed by WHO and WB.