Only 30,311 doctors are currently working in government hospitals across Bangladesh against a requirement of 88,909 to meet the World Health Organization’s minimum standard, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain told parliament on Monday.
According to a government-funded study conducted in 2026, Bangladesh needs 88,909 doctors to achieve the WHO-recommended ratio of 0.50 doctors per 1,000 people.
The minister made the disclosure while responding to a question from ruling BNP lawmaker Md Mosharraf Hossain of Bogura-4 during the question-and-answer session in parliament.
He said government hospitals have 41,806 approved posts for doctors, of which 30,311 are currently filled, leaving 11,495 positions vacant.
The minister clarified that the number of doctors working in the government healthcare system is different from the total number of physicians in the country.
He said the government has taken several initiatives to fill vacant positions and strengthen the public healthcare workforce. A significant number of doctors have already been recruited through the 44th and 48th special BCS examinations, while recruitment of assistant surgeons through the 45th, 46th, 47th and 50th BCS examinations is underway.
The government will continue recruiting doctors to gradually fill vacant posts, he said, adding that new positions would be created when necessary to ensure accessible, quality and people-friendly healthcare services.
