Addressing the Disparities in Service Delivery of Health and Education during COVID 19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Way-forward for an Equitable Mitigation Strategy

There is growing acknowledgement that social inequalities are intensifying between and within countries globally, and that issues of equality must be considered in relation to development within low and middle income countries. With this aim, a research partnership is established and funded as a GCRF (Global Consortium for Research) Cluster which aims to build on the work of five existing international research projects focused on equity in key public institutions. The partnership covers 21 countries in Africa, Asia and North America with 25 Co-investigators/Partners from charitable (NGO) policy, practice and academic organizations.  CIPRB, as a partner organization of this research consortium from Bangladesh is conducting the pilot study titled ‘Addressing the Disparities in Service Delivery of Health and Education during COVID 19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Way-forward for an Equitable Mitigation Strategy’.

Project Overview

The corona pandemic in Bangladesh has burdened the healthcare and education sector and posed substantial financial and social impact in the community, which as a result surfaced the existing disparities in these sectors more prominently. The pandemic has made it necessary to develop alternate arrangements in the health service and education such as telemedicine, tele-pharmacy, and digital learning, but their availability and accessibility in the rural areas and for the urban poorest is very minimal. The aim of this study is to explore the perception and experience of the patients and parents on availing health and education service during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh to address the gaps and barriers in the process.

A qualitative study is being conducted among patients in both rural and urban communities who have school-going children and have sought healthcare service during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. The respondents are patients cum parents from different disadvantaged group of Bangladesh. Teachers and doctors are also being interviewed to explore the views of health and education providers and to identify their challenges and barriers. The study also involved policy makers and professional stakeholders to formulate a mitigation plan and to champion the findings among government and international bodies.

The study will identify challenges and barriers to accessing and delivering health and education services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh and will develop a mitigation strategy to strengthen the delivery of services.

Outputs and Objectives

For more information:

Contact at: farah.naz@ciprb.org