Bangladesh’s telehealth centres were lifesavers. Now they’re on life support

This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology’s impact outside the West.

Mahbubur Rahman is used to the rhythms and interruptions of running a telemedicine center on the northern fringe of the Sunderbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.

At the government-funded hospital in Dacope, Bangladesh, the internet sometimes cuts out for days. Or the power goes out, like it did one recent morning in May, with more than a dozen patients waiting.

Rahman, a 36-year-old administrator, technician, and all-around troubleshooter at Dacope’s telehealth clinic told them to hold on.

No one complained. Rahman is widely respected, and they knew he didn’t have to be there. He hasn’t been paid since January. Bangladesh’s health sector has been beset by crisis since a new government came to power last August. It was further worsened when the US Agency for International Development, which gave around $88 million yearly to Bangladesh’s health programmes between 2021 and 2023, halted funding in January.

The health ministry has so far not funded the telehealth programme, which treated more than 8,000 patients a month during its peak years...

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