The World Bank has approved a total of $570 million for two projects in Bangladesh to improve health, nutrition, and population services and strengthen the country’s public procurement.

The Washington-based lender approved the loans yesterday, according to a statement from the WB. 

“The World Bank and the government have been working together for years to improve the health sector and public procurement performance,” said Qimiao Fan, World Bank country director for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.

He said these two projects will help further progress towards better health outcomes and optimal use of public resources through an effective public procurement and monitoring system.

“This will benefit the entire nation and support Bangladesh’s journey to becoming an upper middle-income country.” 

The $515 million Health Sector Support Project is expected to strengthen the country’s health system and improve quality and coverage of essential service delivery, with a focus on Sylhet and Chittagong divisions, where key health indicators are below national average.