Bangladesh youth hypertension webinar

On August 11, 2026, PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) organized a webinar titled 'Hypertension Risk Among Youth and the Way Forward: Bangladesh Perspective' to mark International Youth Day 2026. Supported by the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) and co-organized by youth networks including Bangladesh Medical Students Society, Platform Doctors Foundation, It s Humanity Foundation, and Give Bangladesh, the webinar brought together public health experts, media representatives, and youth participants. Speakers highlighted that non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including hypertension, account for 71% of all deaths in Bangladesh, with 19% occurring prematurely. Citing the Pakistan — Pakistan Bureau of Statistics' Health and Morbidity Status Survey-2025, hypertension ranks first among the country's top 10 diseases. Data from the Bangladesh NCD STEPS Survey 2018 show that around 12% of people aged 18-39 have hypertension. Experts, including Professor Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury of the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute and Dr Malay Kanti Mridha of BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, stressed the need for sustainable financing and evidence-based prevention and treatment. Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead at GHAI, welcomed the increase in the health budget and called for allocating a significant portion to NCD control. Mohammad Amin of the Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum emphasized the media's role in keeping NCDs on the policy agenda. The webinar was chaired by M. Zubairu, Executive Director of PROGGA, and moderated by Samiha Bintay Kamal. Participants from various regions attended, and the event concluded with calls for urgent action to address the growing burden of hypertension among young people.