Scaling up child development centres in Bangladesh

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Global Child Health Initiatives
• Healthcare System Strengthening in Low-Resource Settings

Background:

• Establishment of Child Development Centres (CDCs) in government tertiary hospitals across Bangladesh.
• Focus on parent-professional partnerships for neurodevelopmental disorder assessment and management in children aged 0-16 years.
• Multidisciplinary teams prioritize service quality over patient volume.

Observation:

• Dhaka Shishu (Children's) Hospital mandated to establish and monitor CDCs nationwide since 2008.
• Description of the rationale, processes, and lessons learned in scaling up early childhood development services.
• Network of 15 CDCs established, serving a large patient population.

Findings:

• 208,866 patient visits recorded across 15 CDCs.
• Majority of patients (79%) from lowest and middle-income families; 30% were under 2 years at first visit.
• Significant improvements observed: 66% in functional skills, 77% in adaptive behavior, 70% in cognitive functions.

Implications:

• CDCs expand neurodevelopmental service coverage through a tiered system, reaching vulnerable populations.
• Innovative training models enabled broad assessment and diagnosis capabilities.
• Growing demand indicates a met unmet need, with increasing interest from private sectors.