High-quality healthcare services in rural areas ASTHA (ingl.)

Bangladesh suffers from both a shortage and geographic maldistribution of human Resources for health. The country had four nurses and midwives and six physicians per 10 000 people in 2019 while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 44.5 skilled health professionals per 10 000 inhabitants. The availability of primary healthcare services and skilled healthcare professionals is very limited in rural areas in particular.

El proyecto

The project was launched in 2011 to address the shortage of skilled healthcare professionals in Bangladesh. It initiated and successfully established the training program for "Community Paramedics." Private training institutes offer the program, while the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, oversees its administration. Young men and women acquire medical knowledge and specialised competence in the two-year course for Community Paramedics. Apart from theoretical training they complete a six-month internship in a hospital. This qualifies them for diagnosis and treatment of frequently occurring diseases that are not complex. Moreover, the graduates are able to provide professional support during pregnancies and assistance at births.

ASTHA is currently in its third four-year project phase (2023-2026) and works in the following three areas:

the modernisation and effective promotion of the Community Paramedic course,
the establishment of private sector driven service offers for Community Paramedics that allow them to improve their business activities and service quality,
fostering a strong engagement from relevant authorities to strengthen and promote the Community Paramedic profession nationwide.

ASTHA Phase III (2023 – 2026) is being implemented in twelve districts of Bangladesh: Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Gaibandha, and Bogura in the north, Sunamganj, Moulovibajar, and Sylhet in the north-east and Barishal, Barguna, and Patuakhali in the south..

Socios de proyectos

National and local healthcare authorities
Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council
Community Paramedic Training Institutes
Community Paramedic Association
Providers of incubation services

Resultados previstos 2025 - 2026

Improved healthcare services for people in remote communities

185 000 community members (60% ♀) receive high-quality affordable healthcare services from Community Paramedics

Strengthened Community Paramedic training system

30 Community Paramedic training institutes access training modernisation services
1 350 Community Paramedic trainees complete the two-year training (60% ♀)

Strengthened Community Paramedic service provision

1 440 Community Paramedics (60% ♀) access services that help them establish their business and improve their service offer
As a result, their annual average income increases by CHF 280

Financing partners

This project is financed by Novartis, the Evi Diethelm Winteler Stiftung, among other donors. It is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.