Bangladesh’s national COVID-19 response

The COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh is rapidly progressing. Like many highly contagious disease outbreaks, it is causing alarming levels of illness and mortality, disrupting the delivery of essential health services across the country and threatening to undo the fragile gains made to date in strengthening the health system. In addition to these serious short-term impacts, the epidemic will have important consequences in the medium to longer-term impacts both for
health outcomes and for Bangladesh’ economic growth.

Now is the time to redouble efforts to address the challenges brought about by this unprecedented health crisis and to develop robust post-crisis recovery plans. The national response will be greatly strengthened if the Government of
Bangladesh can build on their five-decades long efforts to deliver comprehensive family planning (FP) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.