Dhaka: Given the high cost of treating ailments like cancer and kidney-related diseases, more and more people in the country are seeing their incomes diminished by the high cost of healthcare services, experts said on Monday.

They came up with the observation at a two-day scientific conference on health beginning at icddr,b in the capital, organised jointly by Public Health Foundation of Bangladesh and Faith Bangladesh.

Public Health Foundation Chairman of Bangladesh M Muzaherul Huq said though the country has adequate health facilities, doctors and workforce, people are not receiving necessary healthcare services.

In a keynote paper presented on day one, additional director general of the Health Services Dr Abul Kalam Azad said healthcare has to be ensured for all utilising the available infrastructure, facilities and manpower.

He said as a huge number of people cannot afford treatment for diseases like diabetes and hypertension, the government should emphasise disease-prevention.

Some 25 study papers were presented on the first day of the conference. The papers deal with diversified health issues, including health coverage, child health, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, and environmental health.

A study conducted by Northern University Bangladesh found that about 27.6 percent of the injectable drug users (IDUs) share needles, exposing themselves to high risk of infection with communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B.

It shows about 1.3 percent of the respondents, who experienced blood transfusion, had a history of taking unscreened blood. The study found 70.7 percent of the respondents did not take Hepatitis B vaccines.

Another study conducted on 208 under-5 children at Dhamrai Upazila Health Complex by Anwar Khan Modern Medical College in June this year found that diarrhoea; fever and pneumonia are the major causes of deaths of children.

Of the children, 26 percent were found suffering from diarrhoea, 21 percent fever, 16 percent pneumonia, 13 percent common cold and 11 percent malnutrition.