Dhaka, Jan. 27 -- Speakers at a dialogue on Monday suggested widening the purview of the universal health coverage (UHC), saying it should include neglected areas, such as mental health, antimicrobial resistance, oral health, occupational health and safety, and emergency care.

There had been a growing concern over increased health expenditure, lack of financial protection for patients, and rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Bangladesh in recent years, they said.

They also observed that many poorer and extremely poor households were becoming unable to initiate health spending at all, prompting the introduction of a new dimension in financial hardship.

The dialogue titled "Monitoring Progress on Universal Health Coverage" was or...