Weak public health system leads to infectious disease spread : WHO
Saturday, 2 October 2010
The absence of a robust public health system over the years has resulted in emergence of infectious diseases in Bangladesh and the current onslaught of endemic anthrax is a reflection of that, says the regional chief of the World Health Organisation (WHO), reports BSS.
"A weak public health system in Bangladesh leads to spread of many infectious diseases in short intervals in this densely populated country," WHO's regional director for South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, told the news agency in an exclusive interview in the city.
Despite an epidemiological transition towards non-communicable diseases, Dr Plianbangchang said, infectious diseases appeared to remain as the main heath challenge for years in Bangladesh because of poor investment in public health by neglecting the approach of prevention of disease than cure.
He said the long neglected health related factors such as malnutrition has led poor younger generations to become more susceptible to infections--the present leading cause of neonatal and infant mortality in Bangladesh. This country, he said, now should invest more on food security, nutrition, education, women and community empowerment to prevent infectious diseases and improve human health.
Samlee arrived here to launch a three-day regional conference on primary healthcare in emergency situations that ended Thursday.
"As health is a multidisciplinary field, all concerned ministries and sectors such as water, sanitation, education and nutrition must act together to improve health of people as it is not the task of health ministry alone," said WHO regional chief on the eve of the conference.
Bangladesh has experienced several outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis, bird flu, swine flu and anthrax after 2007 in quick succession. Although the country contained the infectious diseases but it had to count a major health and economic loss during the last three years.
He said the coordination and collaboration among inter-agencies, including health and family planning, were crucial to extract best health outcomes in Bangladesh removing the long prevailing health sector dichotomy-health in one side and family planning on the other.
He referred to Bangladesh's shortage of health workforce for qualified doctors, nurses and midwives and said sometime the 'shifting of tasks' yield good results to promote health. In rural areas, he said, well-trained nurses or midwives can provide PHC as good as the general practitioners.
"If you don't have enough doctors, you may train quacks and see how they perform in communities," he said.
He urged the government to involve more volunteers, improve disaster warning system and simulate disaster preparedness in short intervals to keep people ready to face emergency situations.
"A weak public health system in Bangladesh leads to spread of many infectious diseases in short intervals in this densely populated country," WHO's regional director for South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, told the news agency in an exclusive interview in the city.
Despite an epidemiological transition towards non-communicable diseases, Dr Plianbangchang said, infectious diseases appeared to remain as the main heath challenge for years in Bangladesh because of poor investment in public health by neglecting the approach of prevention of disease than cure.
He said the long neglected health related factors such as malnutrition has led poor younger generations to become more susceptible to infections--the present leading cause of neonatal and infant mortality in Bangladesh. This country, he said, now should invest more on food security, nutrition, education, women and community empowerment to prevent infectious diseases and improve human health.
Samlee arrived here to launch a three-day regional conference on primary healthcare in emergency situations that ended Thursday.
"As health is a multidisciplinary field, all concerned ministries and sectors such as water, sanitation, education and nutrition must act together to improve health of people as it is not the task of health ministry alone," said WHO regional chief on the eve of the conference.
Bangladesh has experienced several outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis, bird flu, swine flu and anthrax after 2007 in quick succession. Although the country contained the infectious diseases but it had to count a major health and economic loss during the last three years.
He said the coordination and collaboration among inter-agencies, including health and family planning, were crucial to extract best health outcomes in Bangladesh removing the long prevailing health sector dichotomy-health in one side and family planning on the other.
He referred to Bangladesh's shortage of health workforce for qualified doctors, nurses and midwives and said sometime the 'shifting of tasks' yield good results to promote health. In rural areas, he said, well-trained nurses or midwives can provide PHC as good as the general practitioners.
"If you don't have enough doctors, you may train quacks and see how they perform in communities," he said.
He urged the government to involve more volunteers, improve disaster warning system and simulate disaster preparedness in short intervals to keep people ready to face emergency situations.