In his most recent article in Financial Express, IUBAT’s Professor Hasnat Alamgir writes, “In Bangladesh, in the absence of a functional health insurance market… most costs people bear are out-of-pocket. A sudden onslaught of an illness or episode can create an enormous burden even for the middle class or well-to-do families and can damage the economic security of the family. Stories are abundant where a person diagnosed with a continuing, costly illness like cancer … had to spend their life savings for treatment . For villagers, it is often land or cattle they must sell or they must take loans for a chronic disease that afflicts them for years.” He argues that more research is needed to develop policies to help people from falling into poverty because of unexpected health expenses. OFP's health clinic provides free disease screening and prevention advice for area residents.
