CHSS > Research > Bangladesh Health Watch (BHW)

Background

With the aim to regularly and systematically measuring and monitoring the progress and performance in health sector, Bangladesh Health Watch, a civil society voice was created. Bangladesh Health Watch provides the platform for citizens group to take an active interest in understanding and sharing the challenges and choices, policy and programme options of the country’s health sector.

Launch of Bangladesh Health Watch

The launch of Bangladesh Health Watch took place in Dhaka on April 17th, 2006. Different stakeholder groups attended the meeting and the necessity of such a Watch was widely accepted.

The organizational structure of Bangladesh Health Watch

A. The Advisory Committee
The Bangladesh Health Watch is governed by an Advisory Committee consisting of distinguished personalities from different sectors, and particularly from the health sector.

B. The Working Group
A Working Group consisting of researchers from different organizations carry out the different activities for the Watch. 

C. The Technical Committee
The Technical Committee is formed consisting of experts in the theme areas and thus the members vary each year depending on their expertise.

D. Secretariat Bangladesh Health Watch
The James P. Grant School of Public Health acts as the Secretariat to Bangladesh Health Watch and operates under the Centre for Health Systems Studies of the School.

Working Process

The Secretariat at the School of Public Health works closely to coordinate and organize monitoring and advocacy measures such as conferences, meetings, press briefings and media reports to engage all key stakeholders in the health sector and are responsible for documentation and facilitating the activities as strategised by BHW members. The Advisory Committee members contribute in reviewing and modifying the concepts for each year’s themes reviewing the research findings and also providing technical assistance. The technical committee members also provide technical and critical support each year to BHW activities. 

Annual Reports

The Watch publishes on a yearly basis a report on the state of health in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Health Watch (BHW) has already published two theme based annual reports as part of their major activities. The first report was launched in December 2006. The 2006 report was published along with the Report of 2007 in June 2007 at the launching programme.

Bangladesh Health Watch Report 2006- The theme of the BHW 2006 report was "Challenge of Achieving Health Equity". This theme was chosen because in recent year’s health inequities have emerged as a major challenge for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Health Watch Report 2007- The Bangladesh Health Watch report for year 2007 assessed the situation of Health Workforce in Bangladesh with special focus on production, availability, and quality of services.

Bangladesh Health Watch 2008

For this year’s Bangladesh Health Watch 2008 report, it was decided that in light of the lessons learned and recommendations made in the Health Watch reports of 2006 and 2007, it is apparent that the core issue of governance in all stages of healthcare delivery is crucial. This is a realization not only of the private sector or independent civil society initiatives, but is a concern that is shared by the government as well. Therefore the theme for the 2008 report has been decided as Health Sector Governance. The Working Group and the Secretariat is in the process of developing the analytical framework for this report on governance. 

Advocacy Activities

The Secretariat, Bangladesh Health Watch is arranging series of brainstorming and roundtable meetings with the stakeholders such as Ministry of Health, NGOs, Researchers and professional bodies to identify the focus areas of health governance needed to be addressed from system and provider perspective both.

Logo for Bangladesh Health Watch

According to the consensus of Working Group and Advisory Committee Members, The Secretariat is planning to design a logo for BHW

Future Plans of BHW

  • Theme-based annual reporting will continue

  • Establishing accountability of the health systems (public and private) to the people by establishing Health Watch at local level.

  • Bangladesh Health Watch wish to explore the options and operational aspects of creating an independent entity for Bangladesh Health Watch with full time dedicated staff in the future for gradual transition from the center towards the local health watches at district levels.