Enhancing Healthcare Access and OHS Compliance through Model Enterprise Clinic (MEC) in Bangladesh’s RMG Sector

Background: Workers in Bangladesh’s Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector face serious health risks due to poor working conditions, limited healthcare access, and weak regulatory compliance. Specifically, communicable and non-communicable diseases, mental health issues, injuries, and occupational disorders are widespread and persistent. Factory-based health services often lack the resources to address these problems. Therefore, this study aims to improve healthcare facilities in the RMG sector to enhance workers’ health conditions. Methods: This mixed-methods study draws on stakeholder interviews and a pilot implementation across 30 factories in Bangladesh. Accordingly, qualitative analysis was conducted to identify limitations and solutions related to healthcare access, focusing on stakeholder perspectives and mitigation strategies from the Model Enterprise Clinic (MEC). To achieve this, the six-phase inductive thematic analysis approach by Braun and Clarke was applied. In contrast, quantitative analysis was used to determine the key factors essential for the sustainability of the model, employing Saaty’s Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Result: The study shows that stakeholders mainly identified a lack of skilled doctors and nurses, along with poor service quality. Their most common recommendation was improving equipment, followed by increasing doctors, nurses, and medicines. For MEC model sustainability, they prioritized Digital Health Services (0.2749), Affordability (0.2598), Factory Owners’ Motivation (0.1807), Regular Training (0.1461), and High-Quality Supplies (0.1338). During the pilot, proposed solutions focused most on utilities, followed by equipment and medicine. Conclusion: The results highlight the main areas for improvement in the factory's enterprise clinic that supports employees' health and well-being through two distinct channels: field observation and stakeholder input. The study also focuses on the factors that affect the Model Enterprise Clinic, which will benefit economic, social, and environmental practices. Keywords: Model Enterprise Clinic (MEC), Ready-Made Garment (RMG), Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Stakeholders