Bangladesh moves to integrate chronic disease care into disaster response

DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — The Government of Bangladesh, with technical support from the World Health Organization, is working to integrate care for noncommunicable diseases into the country’s emergency preparedness and response systems, addressing a long-standing weakness in how health services function during disasters.

Noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory illness, cancer and kidney disease, account for nearly 71% of all deaths in Bangladesh, according to official health data. Almost half of those deaths occur prematurely, reflecting both the scale of chronic illness and gaps in sustained access to care.

The initiative comes as Bangladesh faces growing exposure to climate-driven emergencies, including cyclones, floods, landslides and large-scale population displacement. During such crises, access to medicines, routine treatment and follow-up care is frequently disrupted, placing people with chronic conditions at heightened risk of complications, disability and preventable death.

Health authorities acknowledge that while Bangladesh has developed relatively strong systems for responding to infectious disease outbreaks and trauma during emergencies, care for chronic illnesses has not been systematically embedded in disaster planning. 

Many health facilities lack contingency protocols for noncommunicable diseases, medical supply chains are vulnerable to disruption, and frontline responders are often not trained to manage long-term conditions in crisis settings.

Experience from southeastern Bangladesh is now shaping national planning. Cox’s Bazar, which hosts more than 1.4 million Rohingya refugees across 33 camps alongside vulnerable host communities, has become one of the world’s most complex humanitarian health environments. 

Since 2017, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, the World Health Organization and humanitarian partners have integrated services for hypertension, diabetes and mental health into camp-based primary healthcare.

Guided by WHO clinical and mental health protocols, the program has delivered more than 3.8 million consultations for noncommunicable diseases and over 131,000 mental health consultations. 

Health officials say standardized treatment pathways, task-sharing with community health workers, mobile outreach clinics and strengthened supervision have helped ensure continuity of care despite repeated emergencies and resource constraints.

Bangladesh is now looking to adapt those approaches for nationwide use. Earlier this month, the government and the World Health Organization convened an inception meeting in Cox’s Bazar bringing together subnational health authorities, United Nations agencies, humanitarian partners and technical experts to identify practical strategies for maintaining chronic disease and mental health care during disasters.

“Ensuring that people living with chronic diseases and mental health conditions continue to receive care during emergencies is not optional,” said Dr. Narwal, Deputy WHO Representative in Bangladesh, describing continuity of care as a core component of health system resilience.

Health planners say the effort reflects a broader reassessment of disaster response models in countries where chronic illnesses affect a majority of the population. As climate-related shocks become more frequent and severe, officials argue that integrating long-term care into emergency systems will be critical to reducing avoidable deaths and limiting long-term health damage during future crises.