Bangladesh’s public health story is often told through the lens of hospitals, epidemics, and human suffering. We speak of dengue seasons that grow longer, of malnutrition that persists, and of climate driven diseases entering new regions. Yet beneath these visible crises lies another struggle; one that begins not in hospital wards but in farms, fish ponds, live bird markets, and the countless households where humans and animals share space, water, and risk. This struggle determines whether our food is safe, whether outbreaks can be contained, and whether lifesaving antibiotics will remain effective for the next generation. At the centre of this quiet frontline stand Bangladesh’s veterinarians.

Their work extends far beyond treating sick livestock, poultry or pets. Veterinarians stand at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health; an intersection that global experts now call “One Health.” 

In a country where people live in close and constant contact with domestic and peri domestic animals, where zoonotic diseases and multidrug resistant organisms are increasingly reported, veterinarians are not peripheral actors. They are central to national health security. Yet their contributions remain largely invisible. Their shortages are rarely discussed. Their challenges seldom reach the policy agenda, and their potential, which is immense, transformative, and urgently needed, remains underused.