There is a 32% vacancy rate in the health sector, with a high number of vacancies in Sylhet

The health sector in Bangladesh is grappling with a severe workforce crisis, with 32% of posts in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare remaining vacant, from top-level positions to field-level roles. This amounts to 77,877 vacant positions out of a total of 244,711 sanctioned posts, leaving 166,834 positions currently filled. These statistics were revealed in the Bangladesh Health Workforce Strategy 2024, prepared by the health ministry with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), and unveiled at a recent event in the capital.

Among the eight divisions, Sylhet records the highest vacancy rate at 40%, with 5,827 of its 14,536 posts unfilled. On the other hand, Mymensingh has the lowest vacancy rate at 26%, with 4,226 of its 15,976 posts vacant. Notably, the nursing and midwifery categories experience the most severe shortages, with a vacancy rate of 62%, while 40% of physician and managerial positions also remain unfilled.

These workforce gaps severely impact service delivery, increasing workloads for the existing staff and causing significant challenges for patients. Key departments such as medicine, pediatrics, anesthesia, gynecology, and surgery face the most acute pressures. Nurses, too, are burdened with additional non-nursing responsibilities.

The WHO representative Bardhan Jung Rana emphasized in the strategy that the global standard requires a team of 49 health workers—comprising physicians, nurses, and midwives—for every 10,000 people. However, in Bangladesh, only 13 health workers serve every 10,000 citizens. He also highlighted challenges such as uneven workforce distribution, inadequate collaboration among different professional categories, limited opportunities for professional development, and excessive workloads. These persistent issues continue to undermine the country’s health sector.