Bangladesh will play a leading role in public health : PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon the international community to work together to achieve the public health goals aiming to improve the ability of countries with fewer resources to handle their health risks.

"Now, it is the time to work together globally to achieve the public health goals outlined in Sustainable Development Goal-3 and Goal-17. This involves helping countries with fewer resources to improve their ability to handle health risks," she said.

To this end, she said that it's crucial to have a strong commitment from all countries and focused diplomatic efforts to achieve this.

The premier made the call while addressing the opening ceremony of the two-day International Conference on Public Health and Diplomacy in the city's Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh will play a leading role in this effort, considering its past success in protecting public health and dealing with the impact of the Covid pandemic.

"The Covid pandemic has shown us that we are all connected, regardless of how isolated we may feel. None of us can be truly safe until we make sure everyone is safe," she added.

For regional cooperation in greater interest, in presence of ministers and senior officials from WHO SEARO member states, the Bangladesh Prime Minister made five specific recommendations.

Firstly, she said that "We need to further coordinate our actions to ensure enhanced preparedness for and harmonized response to future health emergencies."

In her second recommendation, she laid emphasis on working together to eliminate preventable communicable diseases and share good practices on addressing the growing non-communicable disease burdens.

"We should give attention to mainstreaming mental health in our national health systems and also collaborate on fatal public health hazards like drowning and accidents," she said in her third recommendation.

Fourthly she said, "We need to mobilize our combined facilities for medical education and research, with particular focus on tackling tropical diseases further aggravated by climate impacts."

In her final recommendation, she said, "We must consider the health of our mothers, children and adolescents as the benchmark of our achievements with SDG-3, with the aim of promoting Universal Health Coverage across the region."

Sheikh Hasina urged all to work together to ensure that "Global health governance, with WHO at the center, can meaningfully serve our entire humanity in the next seventy five years and beyond. Let us help each other and share our experiences."

The WHO South-East Asia Region has 11 Member States - Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque, Union Minister of Ministry of Health of Myanmar Dr Thetkhaing Win, Bhutanese Health Minister Lyonpo Dasho Dechen Wangmo, Deputy Minister of Health of the Maldives Safiyya Mohamed Saeed, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand Vijavat Israbhakdi and WHO Representative to Bangladesh Dr Bardan Jung Rana also spoke.

Health Services Division Secretary Dr Md Anwar Hossain Howlader delivered welcome speech while Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen gave introductory presentation.

At the outset, an audio-visual presentation was also screened at the opening ceremony of the conference, jointly organised by ministry of foreign affairs and ministry of health and family welfare in cooperation with WHO.

Mentioning that Covid-19 pandemic hit Bangladesh like other countries in early 2020, the Prime Minister said that her country has been able to reduce the loss of human lives and keep the economy running due to the continuation of its long-standing activities in the health sector and the timely action of the government.

With the help of development partners, Bangladesh was able to purchase and administer vaccines at the earliest, she said, adding "We've provided Covid-19 vaccination to 100 percent of eligible people in our country free of cost."

Bangladesh ranks among the top five countries in the world in overall Covid management and recovery, she said.

Even during the challenging Covid pandemic, Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh did not forget about the 1.2 million Rohingyas who sought shelter from neighboring Myanmar.

With the help of development partners, she said, Bangladesh made extensive preparations to offer them regular check-ups, vaccinations, and healthcare services.

"However, it should not be forgotten that this huge population residing in our country has always been a humanitarian crisis and a security concern for our region," she said, adding "Only their safe and dignified return to Myanmar can ensure a sustainable solution to this crisis."

"And I hope that Myanmar will take back their nationals very soon," she said.

Turning to her government's initiative of setting up community clinics after assuming power in 1996, Sheikh Hasina said that they started working on setting up 18,000 community clinics across the country, one for every 6,000 people.

By the end of her government's term in 2001, she said, about 8,000 community clinics were established while 2,500 more community clinics were under construction. But the BNP-Jammat government coming in power in 2001 discarded the community clinic programme and many of these facilities were left unused, she added.

In 2009, when the Awami League (AL) government was elected back to office, she said, they revived the community clinics almost from the start. "I am pleased to say that there are now about 14,000 community-level health facilities serving our people in both rural and urban areas."

She said that 30 essential medicines, including maternal and child healthcare are being provided free of cost through community clinics while giving free insulin to diabetic patients is under process.

At the moment, each clinic receives an average of 40 service-seekers daily, of which 80 percent are women and children, she said, adding around 4,000 community clinics across the country provide normal delivery services.

Sheikh Hasina said "It is a matter of great pride and joy for me and my country that recently a resolution was unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, recognizing Bangladesh's innovative healthcare model based on community clinics and recognizing it as 'The Sheikh Hasina Initiative'."

She said that Bangladesh is at the forefront among the countries that have made significant progress in reducing infant and maternal mortality. The "MDG Award 2010"is an international recognition of its success in reducing child mortality, she added.

The Premier said that Bangladesh is continuing the Expanded Programme on Immunization to protect its children from preventable diseases. According to UNICEF, Bangladesh was one of the top countries in the world in providing vaccination to children during the Covid period.

Simultaneously, vitamin A capsules and anthelmintic tablets are being given to the children regularly. The World Health Organization has declared Bangladesh free of polio and tetanus. Leprosy has been completely eradicated, black fever is now almost extinct. "Our performance with tuberculosis and malaria remains on track," she added.

Telemedicine services have been launched in various hospitals across the country, along with hotlines to provide information on primary health care, she said.

She continued that maternal and postnatal services are being provided to pregnant mothers through "Ma Telehealth Service".

Around 350 health-tech startups have been established, she said, adding "We are developing a smart healthcare system to provide healthcare services to the remote areas of the country."

The Prime Minister said the Neuro-Developmental Disability Trust has been formed to reduce the health and life risks of people with autism and neuro-developmental disabilities, and "Bangabandhu Insurance for Persons with Disabilities" has been launched under this trust.

A total of 103 disability service and aid centers are being operated in 64 districts and 39 upazilas of the country to provide therapeutic services to the disabled population. Another 211 centers are being established.

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