Two health institutes kick off in city today

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Two health institutes are set to kick off in the city from today (Wednesday) with grants from Rockefeller Foundation, one of the oldest US charities that now focus on Bangladesh's health sector development, reports BSS. President of Rockefeller Foundation Dr Judith Rodin has arrived for the first time in Dhaka Monday to steer the inauguration and activities of the institutes-one at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and the other at James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH) of BRAC University. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina together with Dr Rodin is scheduled to inaugurate the Public Health and Informatics Department of BSMMU, in a major shift of the country's lone medical university to preventive side from customary areas of curative aspects only. BSMMU has now 42 full-fledged departments that all deal only with the curative aspects of diseases and little research, but the new department on public health and informatics would expand its horizon to preventive sides and quality research, said Dr Atiqul Haque, an assistant professor of the new department. The public health and information department will start enrolling students in masters' programme from next year in four areas-epidemiology, information, non-communicable and communicable diseases maternal and child nutrition and hospital administration, a source said. "The Rockefeller Foundation is providing all initial supports to the new initiative of BSMMU," Dr Mushtaque R Chowdhury, associate director of the foundation's Asia office, said Sunday. He said the foundation has been giving focus on the development of Bangladesh health sector with innovative ideas and new technology application. The foundation, which has made 10 grants to different health sector pioneers in Bangladesh in 2010, will also finance a new Centre of Excellence for Universal Health Coverage at James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University.