| dc.description.abstract | Objective The objective of this study was to assess
the readiness of health facilities for diabetes and
cardiovascular services in Bangladesh.
Design This study was a cross-sectional survey.
Setting This study used data from a nationwide
Bangladesh Health Facility Survey conducted by the
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in 2014.
Participants A total of 319 health facilities delivering
services focused on diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
(CVD) were included in the survey. Some of these facilities
were run by the public sector while others were managed
by the private sector and non-governmental organisations.
It was a mix of primary and secondary care facilities.
Primary and secondary outcome measures The
primary outcome was readiness of health facilities for
diabetes and cardiovascular services. We analysed
relevant data following the Service Availability and
Readiness Assessment manual of the WHO to assess the
readiness of selected health facilities towards services for
diabetes and CVD.
Results 58% and 24.1% of the facilities had diagnosis
and treatment services for diabetes and CVD, respectively.
Shortage of trained staff (18.8% and 14.7%) and lack
of adequate medicine supply (23.5% and 43.9%) were
identified to be factors responsible for inadequate services
for diabetes and CVD. Among the facilities that offer
services for diabetes and CVD, only 0.4% and 0.9% had all
the four service readiness factors (guideline, trained staff,
equipment and medicine).
Conclusions The study suggests that health facilities
suffered from numerous drawbacks, such as shortage of
trained staff and required medicine. Most importantly, they
lack effective guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment
for diabetes and CVD. It is, therefore, essential now to
ensure that there are trained staff, adequate medicine
supply, and appropriate guidelines on the diagnosis and
treatment for diabetes and CVD in Bangladesh. | en_US |
