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Published : 15 Dec 2024, 11:14 PM
Governor Ahsan H Mansur has said around $5 billion leaves Bangladesh every year for medical treatment abroad, but the exact use of these funds remains unknown.
Speaking at a workshop on data-related issues on Sunday, he pointed out that the lack of a proper data storage policy in Bangladesh hinders the country's growth and development.
"There's no policy in place for data storage in Bangladesh. Domestic cloud services have yet to make significant progress," Mansur said.
He warned that without proper data management systems, sectors such as healthcare, tourism, and the economy would struggle to unlock their full potential.
The workshop, titled “Cross-Border Data Flow: Bangladesh Context”, was organised by the Policy Research Institute, or PRI, at a hotel in Dhaka.
The event was part of a World Bank-backed project aimed at improving cross-border data flow among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
The governor highlighted that a large sum is spent annually on medical treatment abroad by Bangladeshis, but the specific usage of these funds is largely unknown.
“Some people travel abroad on tourist visas to seek medical treatment,” he said.
Mansur emphasised that in today's world, data has become more valuable than natural resources such as coal and oil.
He said, "Bangladesh, with a population of 170 million, generates a huge amount of data, from mobile systems, small and medium industries, to the tourism sector. However, this data is not being utilised, meaning we are missing out on its value.”
The governor also stressed the importance of improving data-sharing practices in the healthcare sector, saying a lack of access to big data hampers effective research and decision-making.
“If we had access to this data, we could better understand which decisions are most effective,” he said.
Mansur further discussed the need for improvements in data management infrastructure, legal frameworks, and behavioural change to foster progress in this field.
“If we can make progress in database development, data mining, and storage, we will see significant improvements.”
Mansur said information exchange is almost non-existent in Bangladesh.
Each person keeps their data to themselves, and even within our own systems, data is not exchanged,” he added.
The governor concluded by saying, "We need to work legally; the government must take action in this regard. If we do not align local policies accordingly, the use of data will remain ineffective."
PRI chief Jayedi Sattar, who also presented at the event, said: "South Asian countries are among the least connected in terms of data exchange. Political boundaries have become an economic constraint.
“There are more opportunities to boost economic activity within our region, which is even more feasible in the digital world," he added.
