Partnership between healthcare and research needed to build a healthy Bangladesh: Dr Zubaida Rahman in Gulshan

A strong partnership must be built among preventive healthcare, scientific research, research institutions, universities and the pharmaceutical industry to build a healthy Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman Foundation vice-president and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's wife Dr Zubaida Rahman has said.

She made the remarks on Saturday (14 November) at a programme at a hotel in Gulshan in the capital, marking the 12th anniversary of the research institution Institute for Developing Science and Health Initiatives (iDESHI). She laid special emphasis on preventive healthcare to build a healthy Bangladesh.

Zubaida Rahman said that, because of years of neglect in the health sector, the steps needed to prevent some diseases were not encouraged as they should have been. As a result, hundreds of thousands of women in Bangladesh's more than 90,000 villages are now suffering from diseases that could easily be prevented.

Mentioning the government's initiative to recruit 100,000 health workers, Dr Zubaida Rahman said 80 percent of those workers are women. They will play an important role in taking the message of preventive healthcare to people in remote areas across the country.

Collective hard work by everyone is needed to build this populous country as a healthy and strong Bangladesh, she said. She congratulated iDESHI founder and head Dr Firdausi Qadri and the institution's scientists and staff for their dedication and contribution.

Noting that the current government is encouraging the country's young people to engage in science, innovation and technology, Dr Zubaida said more scientists are needed. She hoped that, through research into their own problems, solutions to them and prevention, notable progress in the health sector would let the country hold its head high with pride in the world.

For that, however, patient cooperation, sincere partnership and dedicated work by the government, research-based universities and the pharmaceutical industry are needed, she said.

Young scientists may become frustrated by the slow pace of research work, Dr Zubaida noted, but they should be proud that their research and work are helping many people live healthy lives. She expressed hope that iDESHI would achieve more success in the coming years in advancing science and technology in Bangladesh and bringing smiles to helpless people in the country's remote villages.

The prime minister's special assistant for health, Dr S. M. Ziauddin Haider, spoke at the programme as special guest, and the Directorate General of Health Services' director general, Professor Dr Prabhat Chandra Biswas, spoke as guest of honour.

Dr Ziauddin Haider said the current government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has planned to build a healthcare system in which disease prevention, detection of diseases before they become life-threatening, and quality medical care for every citizen will be ensured.

The government is giving special importance to five things, he said: strengthening research in disease prevention and health security; strengthening primary healthcare as the foundation of the health system; expanding innovation in the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology and locally developed diagnostic systems; advancing the use of digital healthcare and artificial intelligence; and building a sustainable environment for health research and development.

At the programme, iDESHI founder and head Dr Firdausi Qadri presented a paper titled Challenges and realities of scientific research institutions: the iDESHI context. iDESHI chairman Ashfaq Qadri gave the welcome speech, and the institution's chief operating officer, Dr Md Rafikur Rahman, presented a documentary on iDESHI's journey.

Panel discussions were held on five subjects at the programme: thalassemia screening, women's health, the future of biologicals in Bangladesh, infectious diseases, and the use of vaccines in improving public health. Specialist physicians and public health experts in the relevant fields took part in the discussions.