HRM430

KAZI SAJHAURUL ISLAM

[ASSIGNMENT 1]
1410028030
Submitted to: Professor Tajuddin Ahmed
 1) Quality is important and demands continuous attention. With the growth of private health
care facilities, especially in Dhaka city, it is important to assess the quality of services
delivered by these establishments. While anecdotal evidence suggests the existence of
serious service-related problems in both public and private sectors, a study was designed
to determine and compare the quality of services provided by both private and public
hospitals. The study also attempts to determine whether the service quality ratings are
reasonable predictors of the type of hospital chosen by patients.
The theoretical basis of this paper is that the quality of services provided by the hospitals
is based on market incentives: because private hospitals are not subsidized and depend on
income from clients, they will be more inclined than public hospitals to provide quality
services and to meet patients’ needs better.
This suggests that their service quality will be rated lower than private hospitals.

Saad, S. (2000, March 1). Public and private hospitals in Bangladesh: service quality and
predictors of hospital choice. Retrieved from
https://academic.oup.com/heapol/article/15/1/95/667629/.

2) Despite improving healthcare indicators such as decline in mortality rates and increase in
average life expectancy, the health sector of the country is yet to reach its full potential.
Although the percentage of GDP being spent on the healthcare sector is relatively higher
than it used to be, it is still very low compared to developed countries which spend 8-
12% of GDP on health.
Moreover, public money in this sector in developed nations is three times of private
money, whereas in Bangladesh, the government contribution to health expenditure is only
about 1.1%.

Market Insight: Bangladesh Healthcare Sector Overview. (2019, July 7). Retrieved from
https://www.lightcastlebd.com/insights/2015/05/26/market-insight-bangladesh-healthcare-sector-
overview.

3) The government must strengthen its monitoring system to check corruption in public
hospitals to ensure health access to under-privileged people, said Nitai Kanti Das,
member secretary of the Health Rights Movement, a forum of 92 organizations working
to establish community health rights.
There are longstanding and widespread allegations against doctors, nurses and other
health professionals in Bangladesh’s more than 500 public hospitals that they demand
bribes for services that should be free of cost, he alleged.
According to Corruption in Service Sectors: National Household Survey 2012 conducted
by Transparency International Bangladesh , 40.2 percent of surveyed people fell victim to
various irregularities and corruption in receiving services in public hospitals, compared to
33.2 percent in 2010.
 Of more than 7,500 households surveyed nationwide - half of whom received services
through government hospitals - 21.5 percent reported paying for services they never got a
receipt for.
Das said a client association involving local government officials and representatives
from all groups should be created for each public hospital to better establish how a
hospital is functioning.

Bangladeshi health sector corruption hits poor hardest - Bangladesh. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/bangladeshi-health-sector-corruption-hits-poor-hardest.

4) For a long time now, the healthcare sector has been in dire need of reforms in terms of
structure and process of service delivery.
Proliferation of Information Technology has enabled players within the industry,
empowering healthcare professionals and recipients of the services across all walks of the
community.
Over the last decade, a number of companies have come forward to help close the gap,
and help healthcare service providers overcome their inadequacies with technology. For
mental and female health: providing real time, on demand services such as consultation,
advice from experts on socio, psychological, health and legal issues and for
comprehensive health service: a bundle of service for a monthly subscription fee
including health content, over the phone consultation, appointment booking, and
insurance.

Transforming the healthcare sector for Digital Bangladesh 2020. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/digital-frontiers/transforming-the-healthcare-sector-
digital-bangladesh-vision-2020-1535824

5) The government adopted a liberalized business approach to develop the private sector
under the industrial policy of 1986 and the country experienced establishment of
hundreds of hospitals and clinics in the private sector in the decade of 1990 in line with
the open market economy policy.
In the 1980s, disposable income of the people of Bangladesh started increasing along
with their increasing purchasing capacity leading to expansion of the medical services in
the private sector and thus private hospitals and clinics started flourishing.
However, it is only in the decade 1990s when quality medical service started growing
with some large-scale entrepreneurships as a strategic business unit According to recent
reports, it is estimated that Bangladeshi people spend six times more at private hospitals
than on public ones, contributing to the larger flow of revenue and resources in the
private health care sector.
On the other hand, the hospitals known as international standard hospitals like United
Hospital, Square Hospital, Apollo Hospital etc. believe in the social marketing concept
 providing superior customer services at premium prices so that they can make money
through customer satisfaction.

The Financial Express. (n.d.). Meeting private sector healthcare challenges. Retrieved from
https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/meeting-private-sector-healthcare-challenges-
1532703077.

6) According to the health department of Bangladesh government, there are estimated one
doctor for every 2860 people and one nurse for every 5720 people.
According to the health department, 12,382 doctors and 14,377 nurses are working in
government health sectors.
They are serving in 589 government establishments including Thana Health Complex,
District Hospital, Medical College Hospital, Specialized Hospital and Research Institute.
In some areas there, only one doctor runs a total health complex or hospitals.

THE STATE OF HEALTH SECTOR IN BANGLADESH AND VIOLATION OF LAW. (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://www.lawyersnjurists.com/article/the-state-of-health-sector-in-bangladesh-
and-violation-of-law/.

7) Bangladesh offers not only a low competitive cost but also ensures best quality products
for the high-end garment products to famous global brands such as Adidas, Benetton,
Calvin Klein, Diesel, DKNY, G-Star, Hugo Boss, Nike, Puma, Ralph Lauren and Tommy
Hilfiger.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturer and Exporters Association is working to build a safe
and sustainable garment industry. The ministry of labor and employment commission, the
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies found that about 80.8 percent factories
buildings are approved structural designs, 85.9 percent factories are approved layouts, 92
percent factories have valid fire safety licenses and 55 percent factories electric generator
is located outside of the factory.

Bangladesh RMG. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.bangladeshdenimexpo.com/bangladesh/rmg-sector/.

8) The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, the North American-led initiative which has
done so much to improve worker safety in garment export factories, will shortly end
operations in Bangladesh. Ninety-three percent of the remediation work is now complete
in Alliance-affiliated factories, and there is no doubt that Bangladesh's RMG industry has
a much safer working environment now than when the Alliance arrived. The year 2018
has seen other strides taken by the RMG industry. This year saw the announcement of a
new minimum wage of Tk 8,000 (USD 97) for the garment workers. This is a notable
step forward for the RMG industry and, although some international NGOs and unions
 were calling for a larger increase, it has to be borne in mind that this was an over 50
percent increase on the previous minimum wage, which was set five years ago.

Uddin, M. (2018, December 31). Bangladesh RMG: Gains and pains in 2018. Retrieved from
https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/perspective/news/bangladesh-rmg-gains-and-pains-2018-
1680832.

9) The ready-made garments sector of Bangladesh has got a greater facet than any other
sector in terms of growth and foreign exchange earnings.
A study has made a search on different dimensions of contribution and challenges of
RMG industry in Bangladesh.
The study reveals that since its inception, especially during the last three decades, the
RMG industry contributed significantly through creation of physical infrastructure which
is demonstrated by 4222 RMG units along with the development of human capital as
around 4 million workforce are directly involved in this industry.

Islam, S., & Rakib, A. (n.d.). Ready-Made Garments Sector of Bangladesh: its Contribution and
Challenges towards Development. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309702078_Ready-
Made_Garments_Sector_of_Bangladesh_Its_Contribution_and_Challenges_towards_Developme
nt.

10) Bangladesh’s export earnings have seen a 13.39% rise to $24.17 billion in the July-
January period of the current fiscal year.
According to the Export Promotion Bureau data released on Wednesday, during the July-
January period of FY2018-19, Bangladesh earned $24.17 billion; up from $21.32 billion
during the same period in the previous fiscal year. In the July-January period of the
current fiscal year, Bangladesh’s business environment was calm despite the national
election held in December last year. Production in the manufacturing industry remained
vibrant, export earnings rose sharply.
The ready-made garment sector contributed $20.21 billion to Bangladesh’s total export
earnings up by 14.51% from $17.65 billion during the same period of the previous fiscal
year.
Of the total export earnings by the apparel sector, knitwear products earned $10.14
billion, which is 13.86% higher than the $8.90 billion earned during the same period of
FY2017-18.

Hossain, I. (2019, February 6). Bangladesh's export earnings rise over 13% in July-January of
FY2018-19. Retrieved from
https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/commerce/2019/02/06/bangladesh-s-export-earnings-
rise-over-13-in-july-january-of-fy2018-19.
 11) Bangladesh’s export earnings from the readymade garment sector, the lifeline of the
economy, have seen a 15.65% rise to $17.08 billion in July-December period of the fiscal
year 2018-19.
In July-December period of the current fiscal year, export earnings from the readymade
garment sector went up by 15.65% to US$17.08 billion, which was US$14.77 billion in
the same period last year, according to Export Promotion Bureau data released today.
On the other hand, export earnings from the Jute & Jute goods declined by 26.66% to
US$0.421 billion, which was US$0.574 billion in the same period last year.

Bangladesh's RMG exports rise over 15% in July-December. (2019, January 5). Retrieved from
https://www.textiletoday.com.bd/bangladeshs-rmg-exports-rise-15-july-december/.

12) Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, in its 25006 Economic Census, reported that there were
approximately 246 medium-sized food processing industries employing 19 percent of the
industrial manufacturing workforce in Bangladesh or 8 percent of the total manufacturing
labor force. Food processing in Bangladesh has traditionally been small scale, with
domestic or family business using common processing knowledge for the conservation
and handling of raw agricultural commodities to make them usable as food and feed.
The major food processing sub-sectors in Bangladesh include dairy, edible oil, sugar,
rice, wheat, fruit and vegetable, tea, poultry/beef, pulses and spices and fish processing
industries.

Bangladesh Food & Beverage Industry. (2016). Retrieved October 13, 2019, from
http://www.projectsprofile.com/info/potential_five.html

13) The market structure of the beverage industry in Bangladesh is oligopolistic with few
firms dominating the market. They are Transcom Beverage Limited, Partex Beverage
Ltd, Akij Food & Beverage Ltd, Agricultural Marketing Company Ltd , Globe Soft
Drinks Ltd. The beverage market is dominated by Transcom Beverage Limited with the
41.10% market share.
The other beverage producers are Akij Group, Agriculture Marketing Company Limited,
Partex Beverage Limited and Globe Soft Drinks Limited.
Energy drink is a new thing in Bangladeshi market and they try to explore a new world of
taste, flavor, and feeling and finally ensure the quality of new drink in the market.
It is new but it is very attractive and potential to the customer and that’s why the market
value and market share is increasing day by day.

Editor, S. (2017, July 29). Juice& Beverage Industry, A Potential Emerging Sector. Retrieved
October 13, 2019, from https://www.thepages.com.bd/2017/07/25/juice-beverage-industry-
potential-emerging-sector/.
 14) Bangladesh exports over $700 million worth of processed food and beverages; over 60
percent of exports are shrimp and fish products.
Like other economically poor and technologically underdeveloped countries, food
processing in Bangladesh has traditionally been small-scale, with domestic or family
businesses using common processing knowledge for the conservation and handling of
raw agricultural commodities to make them usable as food and feed.
An effective quality control system for ensuring the food safety of final products is an
absolute necessity in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute has
formulated standards for all processed food items currently produced in or imported into
Bangladesh.

Chowdhury, Z. (n.d.). Food Processing Industries in Bangladesh. Retrieved October 13, 2019,
from https://www.academia.edu/5122738/Food_Processing_Industries_in_Bangladesh?
auto=download.

15) Bangladesh would be a $130 billion economy, producing sufficient food to feed 160
million people. Despite difficult odds, the country has made considerable progress-
overcoming floods, cyclones, and drought, and achieving progress in the health sector.
Successful improvements in financial management and funding available for health
services, from $80 million to $1.8 billion from 1998 to 2011, enabling the ministry to
plan and implement essential health, nutrition, and population services at scale.

Progress in Bangladesh health sector. (2016, February 17). Retrieved October 13, 2019, from
https://www.dhakatribune.com/uncategorized/2016/02/17/progress-in-bangladesh-health-sector.

16) The immense significance of improving health indicators has also been acknowledged in
the third Sustainable Development Goals declared by the United Nations that presses for
ensuring Good Health and Well Being across the world. As part of the nation’s
commitment to achieving the SDGs, the current government took the agenda of
healthcare development with utmost importance and has adopted relevant policies to
improve the national health indicators.
However, despite such progresses made in the fields of health and nutrition in
Bangladesh, the country is yet to match global standards which would have potentially
aided the nation in leapfrogging into the elite list of upper middle income countries in
near future.
One of the major factors inhibiting the potential growth of the healthcare sector in
Bangladesh is the country’s insufficient fiscal allocation for the sector.
Thus, in order to partially achieve the SDGs and also to comply with the commitments of
the current government for ensuring improved quality and access to healthcare facilities
 in the country; it is high time to get over the existing inefficiencies and irregularities
engulfing the health care sector of Bangladesh.

Murshed, M. (2017, October 22). Evaluation of Healthcare Development in Bangladesh.

Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://www.daily-
sun.com/arcprint/details/263234/Evaluation-of-Healthcare-Development-in-Bangladesh/2017-
10-22.

17) The current Health, Nutrition and Population Sector Program outlines activities from
2003-2010, with objectives to improve health outcomes, reduce health inequities,
enhance quality of care, modernize the Go B health sector, and attain the health related
MDGs. Data from SVRS 2006 show that the infant mortality rate was 45 per thousand
live births in 2006, indicating that the trend of infant mortality rate is well on track in
achieving MDG target, 31 per 1000 thousand live births3, in 2015.
The Khulna division has the lowest levels of infant mortality rates while the Sylhet
division has the highest levels of infant mortality rates in all years.
Infant mortality rate is also highly correlated to mothers age, birth spacing and number of
children in a family like the under-five mortality rate, Infant mortality is likely to be
higher if the mothers are less than 18 years of age or over 34 years of age at the time of
delivery.
Between the period of 2002 and 2005 the malaria prevalence decreased at average annual
rate of 9.22 percent and malaria mortality rate also reduced by 7.58 percent.

Present status of the Health Sector in Bangladesh. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.lawyersnjurists.com/article/present-status-health-sector-bangladesh/.

18) Bangladesh ranks 3rd from the bottom in the total healthcare expenditure as a percentage
of GDP Index for the South East Asia region. However, when public expenditure as a
percentage of total healthcare expenditure is compared, Bangladesh ranks among the top
5 nations. Public expenditure on healthcare is 37% of the total healthcare expenditure in
Bangladesh.

Hossain, S. (2016, July 28). Bangladesh Healthcare Industry. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from
http://ibtbd.net/bangladesh-healthcare-industry/.

19) The healthcare sector in Bangladesh has experienced increased growth in recent years.
The Government of Bangladesh encourages foreign companies to partner with local
companies in producing drugs, and high-tech and specialized products.
Regulations have eased, allowing foreign companies to export medical products to
Bangladesh.
 To enter the healthcare sector in Bangladesh, a company is required to provide the
necessary application and supporting documents.
Pharmaceutical and medical device companies in turn have to go through DGDA for
licensing. However, both the licenses need to be vetted by the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare, the main responsible entity for all the sub-sectors under healthcare.

Bangladesh - Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals Bangladesh - Healthcare. (n.d.). Retrieved October

14, 2019, from https://www.export.gov/article?id=Bangladesh-Healthcare-and-Pharmaceuticals.

20) Bangladesh as a status of being a LDC economy is Allowed to avoid applying and
enforcing IP rights on pharmaceutical products for the coming 16 years until 1 January
2033, as announced by WTO in November 2015.Currently despite no patent protection,
multinational pharmaceutical companies are applying for product patents, as per mailbox
provision of WTO Local patent office has also granted patents for processes for
production of pharmaceuticals. Prevailing weak legal system Bangladesh has poor law
enforcement due to gaps in regulatory framework Institutions are weak and lack the
commitment for legal enforcement.

Hinduja, A. (2015, December 2). Bangladesh Healthcare Sector Study. Retrieved October 14,
2019, from https://www.business-
sweden.se/contentassets/885d15e5a480462d8d21101927d57956/151127-bangladesh-healthcare-
study-pa13_online.pdf.

21) The allocation was Tk.223.36 billion in the last fiscal. The finance minister in his budget
speech said currently 12 ministries and divisions are implementing programs related to
health and family welfare. “The allocation for this purpose in FY 2019-20 is Tk. 29,464
crore (294.64 billion), which is 1.02 percent of GDP and 5.63 percent of total budget
allocations.” The finance minister said the benefits of activities undertaken by the
government in education, health and human resource development sectors are “now
visible” as different social indicators Bangladesh has made major advancements. The
average life expectancy in Bangladesh is now 72.8 years. The infant mortality of less than
5 years per thousand live births has gone down to 31, infant mortality rate of less than 1
year has gone down to 24, and maternal mortality rate per thousand is now only 1.72
persons. “This remarkable success of the government has been duly reflected in the new
Human Capital Index 2018 of the World Bank, where Bangladesh has secured 106th
position out of a total of 157 countries surveyed,” Mustafa Kamal said. “To keep this
momentum," the finance minister said, "We will continue our activities in FY 2019-20.”
He unveiled a Tk 5.23 trillion budget for fiscal 2019-20 which is 18 percent more than
the one for the current fiscal ending on June 30.

Senior Correspondent, bdnews24.com. (n.d.). Bigger budget slice for Bangladesh health sector.
Retrieved from https://bdnews24.com/health/2019/06/13/bigger-budget-slice-for-bangladesh-
health-sector.
 22) Research in Bangladesh has shown, however, that to be effective, new tools must be
backed by locally-relevant frameworks that integrate issues of health equity, governance,
and accountability into program design, delivery, and evaluation.
Poor access to quality health services and high costs threaten Bangladesh’s momentum
towards universal health coverage.
These technologies are being increasingly used in both developed and developing
countries to deliver a variety of health services, often referred to as eHealth, or mHealth
when they rely on mobile technologies.
More importantly, despite intentions to reach the poor and move toward universal health
coverage, hardly any projects considered issues of health equity, accountability, or
governance in their design, implementation, or evaluation.
Building on this information, the team developed a framework for integrating equity,
accountability, and system integration considerations in the design, development, and
evaluation of eHealth projects.

Making healthcare accessible in Bangladesh - Bangladesh. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/making-healthcare-accessible-bangladesh.

23) The immense significance of improving health indicators has also been acknowledged in
the third Sustainable Development Goals declared by the United Nations that presses for
ensuring Good Health and Well Being across the world. As part of the nation’s
commitment to achieving the SDGs, the current government took the agenda of
healthcare development with utmost importance and has adopted relevant policies to
improve the national health indicators.

Mumin, M. (2016, October 02). Evaluation of Healthcare Development in Bangladesh. Retrieved

October 13, 2019, from https://www.daily-sun.com/arcprint/details/263234/Evaluation-of-
Healthcare-Development-in-Bangladesh/2017-10-22.

24) According to the Export Promotion Bureau data released on Wednesday, during the July-
January period of FY2018-19, Bangladesh earned $24.17 billion; up from $21.32 billion
during the same period in the previous fiscal year. In the July-January period of the
current fiscal year, Bangladesh’s business environment was calm despite the national
election held in December last year. Production in the manufacturing industry remained
vibrant, export earnings rose sharply.

Bangladesh's exports rise. Retrieved from https://www.textiletoday.com.bd/bangladeshs-

exports-rise /.

25) In the 1980s, disposable income of the people of Bangladesh started increasing along
with their increasing purchasing capacity leading to expansion of the medical services in
the private sector and thus private hospitals and clinics started flourishing.
However, it is only in the decade 1990s when quality medical service started growing
with some large-scale entrepreneurships as a strategic business unit According to recent
reports, it is estimated that Bangladeshi people spend six times more at private hospitals
than on public ones, contributing to the larger flow of revenue and resources in the
private health care sector.

The Financial Express. (n.d.). Meeting private sector healthcare challenges. Retrieved from
https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/meeting-private-sector-healthcare-challenges-
1532703077.

26) Due to increase amount of imported processed foods, now we can taste and consume
various foods that are not available or have shortage in Bangladesh and get the access of
consuming branded companies processed food.
Processed foods help to enhance market competition and become attractive product for
market industry that helps to increase not only development of market industry but also
increase GDP growth of Bangladesh.
Collecting raw materials to ultimate production all are important for food processing. In
the Harvard Business School, Michael Porter proposed a Competitive Advantage theory
that means if any company focuses on one thing and develops one product in such way
that no one can beat the company, in this way too, they will prevail market competition
and here too, processed foods can be very attractive for any market company. As
Bangladesh gained eligibility for graduation from least developed country to a
developing country, so it will be more difficult for Bangladesh to get development
assistance from developed countries and therefore, technology and equipment will be
imported on commercial basis.
So, we can see that because of LDC graduation, developed countries from those
Bangladesh import technologies to produce goods and foods in cheaper rate, now those
developed countries will export technology to Bangladesh at a higher rate.

Jasmin, I. A. (2019, May 14). Development and growth of food processing industries: The Asian
Age Online, Bangladesh. Retrieved from https://dailyasianage.com/news/177699/development-
and-growth-of-food-processing-industries.
 27) The growth achieved in agro-food processing is not at par with the economic growth of
Bangladesh and the sector is currently under-performing.
Katalsyt, one of the leading market development programs in Bangladesh, wanted to
investigate the scope for growth of agro-food processing industry in Bangladesh and
define the interventions that could facilitate the growth by addressing the key barriers for
growth and competitiveness.
The processors are mostly engaged in processing of food products for which there is a
proven market; import trends and the significance of the local informal processing are
used as indicators to test the market potential.
Growth in the agro processing does not lead to growth in the engagement of the poor in
the production since majority of the crops that are being processed mostly engage
medium and large farmers. There is increasing interest in FDI on agro-processing in
Bangladesh as Poland and Japan want to invest in food processing. Agro processing has
been identified as one of the thrust sectors by the government and several policies such as
Industrial Policy 2016, Seventh five year plan and Agriculture Policy 2013 target the agro
processing sector.
Food safety in Bangladesh is a multi-sectorial responsibility however the administrative
enforcement mechanism of Bangladesh is not organized. There are inadequate training
programs and facilities as the existing skills development programs focus on training
SMEs on small scale cottage based processing but not on quality control, food safety
issue, supply chain management, productivity management for the large scale private
sector agro processors.

Innovision Consulting Private Limited. (2016, October 20). Study on the Roles and
Opportunities for Private Sector in Agro-food Processing Industry of Bangladesh. Retrieved
October 14, 2019, from http://katalyst.com.bd/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Roles-and-
Opportunities-for-Private-Sector-in-Agro-food-Processing-Industry-of-Bangladesh.pdf.

28) The processors are mostly engaged in processing of food products for which there is a
proven market; import trends and the significance of the local informal processing are
used as indicators to test the market potential.
Growth in the agro processing does not lead to growth in the engagement of the poor in
the production since majority of the crops that are being processed mostly engage
medium and large farmers. There is increasing interest in FDI on agro-processing in
Bangladesh as Poland and Japan want to invest in food processing. Agro processing has
been identified as one of the thrust sectors by the government and several policies such as
Industrial Policy 2016, Seventh five year plan and Agriculture Policy 2013 target the agro
processing sector.

Opportunities for Private Sector in Agro-food Processing Industry of Bangladesh. Retrieved

October 14, 2019, from http://katalyst.com.bd/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Roles-and-
Opportunities-for-Private-Sector-in-Agro-food-Processing-Industry-of-Bangladesh.pdf.

29) RMG is the largest exporting industry in Bangladesh, which experienced phenomenal
growth during the last 25 years.
By taking advantage of an insulated market under the provision of Multi Fiber
Agreement of GATT, it attained a high profile in terms of foreign exchange earnings,
exports, industrialization and contribution to GDP within a short span of time.
Garments industry is the largest export industry for our country and it contributes 75% of
total export.

Ready Made Garments Industry in Bangladesh. (2013, September 4). Retrieved from
https://www.assignmentpoint.com/science/textile/ready-made-garments-industry-
bangladesh.html.

30) Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and Brand Forum
Bangladesh held a summit to develop a collaborative and coordinated approach to
achieving this goal.
The NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights looked at recent export data and
industry trends to assess whether the industry could double in the next six years.
Rethinking the growth rate: The average growth rate of 13.9% over the last six years is
skewed by a 43% jump in garment exports between 2010 and 2011 - a jump was unlikely
to see again.
To achieve 10.9% growth, Bangladesh will have to gain market share from competitors
like China and India all while they seek to grow their own garment exports.
Partially as a result, fiscal year 2014-15 began on a low note, with garment exports
achieving an annualized growth rate of just 3.2%.

Bangladesh's $50bn RMG export target by 2021. (2019, August 21). Retrieved October 14,
2019, from http://www.projectsprofile.com/news/news_profile_eight.html.

31) Every year, Bangladesh imports food grains, the figure is gradually increasing to meet the
additional requirements in general and to stabilize the food market as well as to take
precautions to address the unforeseen incidents in particular .According to the Household
Income Expenditure Survey the calorie intake decreased to 2,238.5 Kcal/capita/day in
2005 from 2,263 Kcal/capita/day in 2000; whereas cereals which is one of the main
source of calorie intake decreased to 469.2 gm/capita/day from 486.7 gm/capita/day
.Over the past three decades, rapid expansion of green revolution technologies, irrigation
in dry season, government subsidies in agriculture, improved seeds, increase of arable
 land, appropriate pesticides use and sufficient fertilizer use; have led to a rapid increase
in rice and wheat production in Bangladesh The food price inflation has a stern impact
over the marginalized people of Bangladesh.

The International Monetary Fund warned Bangladesh that excess liquidity and resurgent
international commodity and food prices might push inflation to double-digit levels by
year-end of 2009. The corresponding real prices also have risen by 53% and 24%, with a
substantial rate of increase in rice prices. In Bangladesh food prices continued to increase
and drove up the overall inflation rate in FY 2010-11. The inflation in June 2011 was
10.2% compared to 8.7% in June 2010 and food inflation rate was higher than the general
inflation rate.

Mohajan & Haradhan. (2013, February 16). Food, Agriculture and Economic Situation of
Bangladesh. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://mpra.ub.uni-
muenchen.de/54240/1/MPRA_paper_54240.pdf.

32) In its early phase, the health system in Bangladesh was primarily focused on providing
curative services targeting maternal, child and newborn health.
Since the 1990s, with the development of modern science and technology and with the
greater role of United Nations agencies and non-government organizations, the health
systems gradually shifted its emphasis equally on health promotion and preventative
services.
Nevertheless, it must be recognized that Bangladesh has a well-structured health system
with three tiers of primary health care Upazila Health Complexes at the sub-district level,
Union Health and Family Welfare Centers at the Union level, and Community Clinics at
the village level.
From a purely structural point of view, the health system is based on sound principles
covering the entire spectrum of services and care from health education and promotion to
treatment, care and rehabilitation.
A health system strengthening is crucial for the successful scale up of disease control
interventions as well as promoting health education.

Islam, A., & Biswas, T. (2014, January). Health System in Bangladesh: Challenges and
Opportunities. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276105127_Health_System_in_Bangladesh_Challenge
s_and_Opportunities/link/559fa7b208ae0e0bf6124b88/download.

33) To undertake policy analysis on emerging health issues in Bangladesh and promote
discussions on evidence-informed health policy process for improved health outcomes, a
health policy dialogue titled Engaging Private Sector to Achieve Universal Health
Coverage in Bangladesh took place at the CIRDAP Auditorium, Chameli House,
 Topkhana road, Dhaka on 28 April 2018.
The objective of this dialogue was to identify policy challenges in the private health
sector in Bangladesh, explore practical solutions and attribute to developing policy
recommendations for future implementation.

It is important to determine government’s responsibilities in providing health services for

people and policy regulation in private sector, since increasing out of pocket health
expenditure is a real concern for Bangladeshis.
This Health Policy Dialogue has demonstrated urgency to improve both the public and
private health sectors of Bangladesh.

Khan, S. (2018, June 11). Engaging private sector to achieve universal health coverage.
Retrieved October 14, 2019, from http://blog.icddrb.org/2018/06/11/engaging-private-sector-to-
achieve-universal-health-coverage/.

34) The Health and Population Sector Program and its successor the Health, Nutrition and
Population Sector Program. At the time of independence, there were three principal
problems related to the health status of the population: overpopulation, malnutrition and
high incidence of communicable diseases.
A stated objective of the health sector plan was to create a rural health infrastructure for
providing integrated and comprehensive health services, including maternal and child
health services at the Thana Health Complex and Rural Health Centers or sub-centers in
each rural union.
The Fifth Five Year Plan introduced for the first time a sector-wide approach to health
sector programming in the form of the Health and Population Sector Strategy adopted in
1997, which fed both into the Fifth Plan and the first National Health Policy in 2000.
Unification of the health and family planning wings of the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare so as to avoid duplication of Mother and Child Health services and to ensure
efficiency gains by offering a combined package of health and family planning.
Introduction of an Essential Service Package containing five basic maternal, child and
public health services to be delivered from one single service point in the spirit of one-
stop shopping.
The ESP package included child health services, limited maternal health care, family
planning, control of communicable diseases, and a program for behavioral change.
Reversing the unification of the health and family planning wings of the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare, with a concomitant de-emphasis on the fixed-point one-stop
service introduced by HPSP and partial return to the earlier practice of domiciliary
services.

Chowdhury, O. H., & Osmani, S. R. (2010, June). Towards Achieving the Right to Health: The
Case of Bangladesh. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from
http://bids.org.bd/uploads/publication/BDS/33/33-1&2/05_Omar_H_&_S_R_Osmani.pdf

35) The public sector of health care concentrated on the country’s most disadvantaged groups
- women and children, the poor and underdeveloped rural areas - while the private sector
took over much of the specialized care.
Rather than starting from a policy framework, as is the case in most countries, The
Lancets editors noted, the Bangladeshi government instead created an environment for
pluralistic reform, in which many participants in the health sector, including non-
governmental organizations and the private sector, were allowed to flourish.
The Nobel-prize-winning economist, Amartya Sen, a Bengali from the Indian side of the
border, wrote that Bangladesh’s health achievements help vindicate women’s rights.
But Ronsmans said a strong public health sector is the only way to ensure health equity
and good health outcomes.

Ahmed, S. (2013, November 26). How Bangladesh achieved its "amazing" health statistics.
Retrieved from http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2013/11/26/how-bangladesh-
achieved-its-amazing-health-statistics

36) The processors are mostly engaged in processing of food products for which there is a
proven market; import trends and the significance of the local informal processing are
used as indicators to test the market potential.
Growth in the agro processing does not lead to growth in the engagement of the poor in
the production since majority of the crops that are being processed mostly engage
medium and large farmers. There is increasing interest in FDI on agro-processing in
Bangladesh as Poland and Japan want to invest in food processing. Agro processing has
been identified as one of the thrust sectors by the government and several policies such as
Industrial Policy 2016, Seventh five year plan and Agriculture Policy 2013 target the agro
processing sector.

Agro-food Processing Industry of Bangladesh. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from

http://katalyst.com.bd/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Roles-and-Opportunities-for-Private-Sector-
in-Agro-food-Processing-Industry-of-Bangladesh.pdf.

37) At the time of independence, there were three principal problems related to the health
status of the population: overpopulation, malnutrition and high incidence of
communicable diseases.
A stated objective of the health sector plan was to create a rural health infrastructure for
providing integrated and comprehensive health services, including maternal and child
health services at the Thana Health Complex and Rural Health Centers or sub-centers in
 each rural union. Unification of the health and family planning wings of the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare so as to avoid duplication of Mother and Child Health
services and to ensure efficiency gains by offering a combined package of health and
family planning.
Introduction of an Essential Service Package containing five basic maternal, child and
public health services to be delivered from one single service point in the spirit of one-
stop shopping.

Towards Achieving the Right to Health: The Case of Bangladesh. Retrieved October 14, 2019,
from http://bids.org.bd/uploads/publication/BDS/33/33-1&2/05_Omar_H_&_S_R_Osmani.pdf

38) Poor access to quality health services and high costs threaten Bangladesh’s momentum
towards universal health coverage.
These technologies are being increasingly used in both developed and developing
countries to deliver a variety of health services, often referred to as eHealth, or mHealth
when they rely on mobile technologies.
More importantly, despite intentions to reach the poor and move toward universal health
coverage, hardly any projects considered issues of health equity, accountability, or
governance in their design, implementation, or evaluation.

Making healthcare accessible in Bangladesh - Bangladesh. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/making-healthcare-accessible-bangladesh.

39) Bangladesh’s rural economy, and specifically agriculture, has been powerful drivers of
poverty reduction in Bangladesh since 2000.
Nearly half of all of Bangladesh’s workers and two-thirds in rural areas are directly
employed by agriculture, and about 87 percent of rural households rely on agriculture for
at least part of their income.
Faster and more inclusive rural growth with job creation will require greater agricultural
diversification together with more robust rural non-farm enterprise development. The
Integrated Agriculture Productivity Project is designed to improve resilience of
agriculture production particularly in northern and southern affected by flash floods,
drought and saline intrusion from tidal surges.
The National Agriculture Technology Program helps the Government of Bangladesh
increase productivity and food security, encourage climate change adaptation, and
enhance nutrition through safer and more diversified foods.

Bangladesh: Growing the Economy through Advances in Agriculture. (2016, October 9).
Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2016/10/07/bangladesh-growing-
economy-through-advances-in-agriculture.
 40) A noticeable development has taken place in commercial poultry production that has
generated considerable employment through the production and marketing of poultry and
poultry products.

In the fiscal year 2017-18, the country made approximately USD 30.61 billion worth of
garments export, which established us as the second-largest garments and knitwear
exporting country in the world. When the war-ravaged country gained independence in
1971, the size of its GDP was only USD 6.2 billion and in 2018, the GDP grew to USD
286.27 billion, taking the country to the 42nd position in the world economy. If one looks
carefully at the above portrayal, one can easily see that there is no surprise; it’s the
resilience of the people of Bangladesh, their struggle for survival and their
entrepreneurial ability which have contributed in taking the country out of the basket
case.
There is no denying that for the past three decades, government socio-economic reforms
and policies have allowed the private sector to play an increasingly active role in the
economic life of the country, but the real architect of this development surprise is indeed
the people of this land.

Haider, A. A. (2018, December 11). From 'basket case' to 'development model'. Retrieved
October 14, 2019, from https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/news/basket-case-development-
model-1671865.

41) Over the past three decades, use of any method of contraception by women increased
seven fold from 8 to 58 percent in the country according to the survey.
About the awareness of HIV and AIDS, the survey showed that knowledge of HIV/AIDS
among ever-married women increased from 19 percent in 1996-1997 to 60 percent in
2004.
Thirty seven percent of ever married women, 57 percent of never married men and 45
percent of currently married men know that condom use is a way to avoid contracting
HIV/AIDS. According to the BDHS, among the all children under-five, 43 percent of
children are stunted and 17 percent severely stunted.
The BDHS Survey 2004 is a nationally representative survey of 11,440 women age 10-49
and 4,297 men aged 15-54 from 10,500 households covering 361 sample points
throughout Bangladesh.

Bangladesh achieves substantial success in health sector. (2005, May 31). Retrieved from
https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2005/05/31/bangladesh-achieves-substantial-success-in-
health-sector.

42) Two key factors have been identified which have played vital roles in this growth of the
Ready-Made Garments industry in Bangladesh cheap labor and an opportunity to export
 under Multi-Fiber Arrangement quota system .

Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association creates new wage board
then, where $68 per month set as low wage, which is actually more than double from the
past but still very poor compared to other countries in the market .
As RMG sector exports globally, global leaders will acknowledge the situation and they
put pressure on Bangladeshi garments owners and governments to ensure proper wage
distribution, enforcing labor law and decrease gender discriminations.
The Bangladeshi garment export industry for quite some time produced at low
productivity levels, hampered in particular by poor infrastructure.
Two of the Centuries biggest disasters in garments industry happened in Bangladesh- fire
at Tasreen garments in 2012 which cost around 200 lives and collapse in eight stories
building Rana Plaza in 2013 which take 1134 lives.

Adnan, T. (2018, January 22). Low Wage Crisis: Impacts on Bangladeshi Garment Sector
Workers. Retrieved from https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/low-wage-crisis-impacts-on-
bangladeshi-garment-sector-workers-2165-7912-1000357-98843.html

43) Country’s 81% of exports come from the RMG sector, and the textile and Apparel sector
contributes around 20% to Bangladesh’s GDP. In the last financial year, FY18, the
Export Promotion Bureau states that Bangladesh’s overall exports grew by 5.81%,
reaching $36.67 billion, owing to the growth in apparel exports.
The garment exports as per EPB registered an 8.76% growth in this fiscal year, which
was 1.51% higher than the set target.
Bangladesh’s RMG sector has many factors that attract global attention: Bangladesh has
also signed many trade deals offering Bangladesh exports a preferential treatment, like
SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement, Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, Bay of
Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectorial Technical and Economic Co-operation, South Asian
Free Trade Area, and the Trade Preferential System among the OIC member states.
Bangladesh has attracted many major global retail brands, and with the technology and
quality compliance parameters has also seeped in Bangladesh’s apparel manufacturing
systems.
Moreover, Bangladeshi manufacturers and exporters have built excellent vertical
capacities, which only China could offer before, which help global brands to ensure more
transparency and coordination in their supply chains.

Stitchdiary. (2018, July 18). What Makes Bangladesh - A Hub Of Garment Manufacturing?
Retrieved from https://medium.com/@stitchdiary/what-makes-bangladesh-a-hub-of-garment-
manufacturing-ce83aa37edfc.
 44) The export-oriented ready-made garments sector in Bangladesh started its journey in late
1970s as a small non-traditional sector of export.

Bangladesh exported RMG worth only US$ 69 thousand when Reaz Garments exported
its first consignment to USA in 1978.
Bangladesh’s RMG sector has been under tremendous pressures in recent times from
international buyers; demand for higher wages by workers and political unrest in the
country.
Although GSP covers less than 1% of Bangladesh’s nearly $5bn in exports to the US and
doesn’t include the lucrative garment sector but Bangladesh fall in image crisis not only
for the RMG sector but also for the nation as a whole.
International platforms have already given the Bangladesh government and the RMG
sector a good number of conditions to fulfill in order to be able to retain and sustain
Bangladesh’s RMG exports to the international markets.

Rashid, M. (2014, July 3). RMG: Causes of unrest & Secret of success. Retrieved from
http://learning.brac.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=691:rmg-causes-of-unrest--
secret-of-success.

45) Two initiatives representing international brands and retailers: the Bangladesh Accord on
Fire and Building Safety and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety has carried out
inspections of the factories which their member companies source from.
As part of its RMG program supported by Canada, the Netherlands and UK, ILO
supported the national initiative of the Government of Bangladesh to carry inspections of
the factories not covered by Accord or Alliance.
Trade union trainers and women union leaders/organizers groups have also been
organized under the auspices of the National Council for the Coordination of Workers
Education to help increase the participation of workers in Safety Committees and to
enhance women workers participation in OSH actions at factory level.
The Rana Plaza Coordination Cell, with the support of ILOs RMG project has organized
two training sessions on health and safety for rescue workers and community volunteers
who took part in the Rana Plaza Collapse.
ILO is providing technical assistance for trade union organizations to improve the
capacity of workers to organize through a workers education program organized in
collaboration with the National Coordination Committee for Workers Education and the
Industry ALL Bangladesh Council.

Improving working conditions in the ready-made garment industry: Progress and achievements.
(2015, July 5). Retrieved from
https://www.ilo.org/dhaka/Whatwedo/Projects/WCMS_240343/lang--en/index.htm.
 46) The “Made in Bangladesh” tag has made inroads at the highest echelons of global
society. Bangladesh factories have given Western brands and retailers what they
want: a vertical industry that manufactures high quality knitwear and woven
products, using both manmade fibers and cotton, including tops and bottoms,
underwear and outerwear. The other side of the story is that challenges are also plentiful.
These include high dependence on EU and U.S. markets, safety and environmental
compliance, the quality of the labor force, political strife since its inception ,
confrontational politics, foreign supremacy and dominance over the political affairs of
Bangladesh, which have all become difficult challenges for the RMG sector of
Bangladesh. In fact, to save this industry from falling apart, leading to possible
unemployment for millions of workers, while hoping to capture the huge potential of the
industry, what is needed is a comprehensive plan and effective agencies to implement it.
That plan must include time bound necessary steps: to ensure payment of compensation
to the families of the killed, not less than their lifetime possible earning, as well as to the
injured to compensate them for the loss of their lifetime ability to earn; to ensure
exemplary punishment to those who are responsible for disasters; to ensure security at the
workplace and sustainability of the sector, so as to develop national capability; to fix the
national minimum wage at the living wage level and to work for establishing a global
minimum wage and to ensure the right to organize.

Chowdhury, S., Rahman, M., & Alam, Z. (2016). The Future of the Ready-Made Garment
Industry of Bangladesh, 6(2). doi: https://jcwalsh.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/6-2-
chowdhury1.pdf

47) The number of female workers in readymade garments sector has declined by 10.68 per
cent in the span of four years though the number of factories and workers are on the rise,
reveal two separate surveys conducted by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. The latest
BBS survey says 53.82 per cent male workers occupy jobs in the sector while the number
of female workers is only 46.18 per cent.
Earlier in 2013, the BBS survey found the percentage of male workers in the RMG sector
43.14 while the female workers 56.86 per cent.
This situation is being created in the sector due to increasing use of technology, lack of
skills of women workers compared to males, increasing interest of men for salary rise,
social inequalities and due to its labor-intensive nature.
Limited sectors to work in general, six types of works are done in the garment sector -
sewing, finishing, cutting, and embroidery, knitting and washing.
Women mostly work in sewing and finishing sectors.

Liakat, F. (2019, September 4). Women workforce declining in RMG sector. Retrieved from
https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/news/201345/Women-workforce-declining-in-RMG-
sector.
48) SWOT analyzing is a very useful technique to identify a company's Strengths, Weakness,
Opportunities, and Threats. SWOT analysis was done in five industries to find out the
obstacles of our productivity improvement in RMG sector. One structured questionnaire
was also used to conduct a survey of 200 people including Line Supervisors, operators,
helpers, IE engineers etc. in different sections of RMG sectors. The threats and problems
that hamper productivity are as follows:

a) Lack of proper training facilities.

b) Lack of regular workers in RMG sector.

c) Lack of dignity in society.

d) Lack of skilled workers.

e) Excessive pressure in some cases.

f) Lack of motivation.

g) Lack of active baby day-care facilities.

h) Lower salary standard and less satisfaction of the workers.

i) Interrupted utility supply.

j) Improper facility layout.

k) No or improper IE section.

l) Lack of human-friendly working condition like ventilation, lighting, proper

washroom facilities, odor-free environment etc.

No hurdles could resist Bangladesh achieving a modest growth in the first six months of the
financial year 2013-2014. The country has registered 19.55 % growth in knitwear export and
20.37% growth in woven wear export despite so many political troubles. Amid great internal
tension & month-long blockade, the sector could keep their momentum going. Countries
export growth in July to December hence now comes with a great inspiration for the rest of
the year to achieve even more. But such a well-built sector could not really grow as the sector
anticipated due to many reasons- most of which are not abnormal for developing countries.
Huge infrastructure deficiency, political instabilities, high bank interest, frequent labor
insurgency, unexpected accidents; Bangladeshi RMG & textile sector is coping up everything
very well. Now the country is to face another big threat from the two big subcontinent
countries due to the extra leverages they are gaining. Bangladesh should penetrate into new
markets, diversify into new items, and relocate into new territories. If these measures are not
 taken in time, as Spinanger concludes, "The rapid growth rates that Bangladesh exhibited in
world trade will be a thing of the past".

Khan, A. N. (2018, February 16). A SWOT Based Study for the Improvement of Bangladeshi
RMG Industry. Retrieved from https://lupinepublishers.com/fashion-technology-textile-
engineering/fulltext/a-swot-based-study-for-the-improvement-of-bangladeshi-rmg-
industry.ID.000118.php.

49) With an open and mild protectionism economy, the Bangladeshi apparel industry
nonetheless, appears to flicker for success in the global market.

Some proponents of internationalization theories argue the need for enterprises to gain
competitive advantage in their local markets before venturing abroad, to this knot is the
research objective tied. Cheap labor, preferential access, low investment and low energy
cost are no more considered to be the basis of competitive advantage in Bangladesh
garments industry.
Cheap labor and preferential access are two main things that accelerated the growth of the
industry in the early days of garments industrial development. In such circumstances the
advanced factors of the Diamond theory of Michael Porter is most suitable. However, it is
undeniable that Bangladesh has an abundance of some of the traditional factors of
production that are required to develop the industry. The recommendations that have
been made above depending on the respondents’ comments are demand of time for
achieving the competitive advantage in the global apparel industry. The research process
revealed some of the facts that can be the topic for future research for many researchers.
The garments industry of Bangladesh also opens the door for the researchers to look into
fascinating aspect of sourcing in a low cost production country. Issues like social
compliance, political instability are some of the obstacles that are creating problems for
Bangladesh garments industry in order to gain the out sourcing value by international
buyers including EU and North America. So the extension of outsourcing value of
Bangladesh garments industry by improving the social compliance can the future
research topic for the researchers.

Uddin, M. (2014). How Bangladeshi Ready Made Garments Industry can be competitive in the
global Market. Business Economics and Tourism, 2–60.

50) The export-oriented ready-made garments sector in Bangladesh started its journey in late
1970s as a small non-traditional sector of export.
Bangladesh exported RMG worth only US$ 69 thousand when Reaz Garments exported
its first consignment to USA in 1978.
Bangladesh’s RMG sector has been under tremendous pressures in recent times from
international buyers; demand for higher wages by workers and political unrest in the
 country.
Although GSP covers less than 1% of Bangladesh’s nearly $5bn in exports to the US and
doesn’t include the lucrative garment sector but Bangladesh fall in image crisis not only
for the RMG sector but also for the nation as a whole.
International platforms have already given the Bangladesh government and the RMG
sector a good number of conditions to fulfill in order to be able to retain and sustain
Bangladesh’s RMG exports to the international markets.

Rashid, M. (2014, July 3). RMG: Causes of unrest & Secret of success. Retrieved from
http://learning.brac.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=691:rmg-causes-of-unrest--
secret-of-success.