Bangladesh interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday said that the joint declaration signed on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases would be a new milestone for health protection as it would help achieve the health-related sustainable development goals.
鈥楤y signing this joint declaration today, we have renewed our commitment to work together in national health protection. This should not be limited to just one event. This is our collective effort,鈥� he said while speaking at the joint declaration signing ceremony at his office in Dhaka.
The chief adviser said that he believes that through its implementation, public health protection programmes in Bangladesh would be more dynamic and this would be a new milestone of progress.
鈥業t will be helpful in achieving the health-related sustainable development goals and post-SDG development agendas more efficiently,鈥� he added.
Yunus said that the NCDs were spreading worldwide day by day, while this situation was even more critical in Bangladesh in the context of its socioeconomic, geographical location and the larger population living in a small territory.
鈥楽o, it is perhaps the most important aspect of national health management, which is closely related not only to the health sector, but also to our overall economy, social security and sustainable development,鈥� he said.
Citing the World Health Organisation 2022 report, the chief adviser said that about 71 per cent of all deaths occurred in Bangladesh due to NCDs, and 51 per cent of these deaths occurred before the age of 70, which were considered as premature deaths.
鈥極ur personal medical expenditure (out-of-pocket expenditure) is 69 per cent, most of which is spent on non-communicable diseases,鈥� he added.
Yunus said that people were forced to face high medical expenses when they suffered from NCDs and in many cases, they became helpless.
鈥業n some cases, it is also necessary to seek treatment from abroad at very high costs. A huge amount of our money goes abroad to meet medical expenses of all these diseases,鈥� he said.
He stressed creating public awareness on the NCDs and taking prevention and control measures apart from improving the treatment management of NCDs.
It is not possible for the health services division alone, the chief adviser said, adding that cooperation from all ministries was required to this end.
鈥楨ach sector such as food, agriculture, education, sports, local government, and public works has an important role to play. Specific action plans and intensive initiatives are needed from each sector,鈥� he said.
So, he said that all these ministries had been identified and their tasks had been determined.
Stressing the need for making the country鈥檚 people aware of public health, Yunus said that if the young people were not made aware of tobacco today, the future of the next generation would be uncertain.
In addition, he said that the people should be made conscious about sugar intake on an urgent basis.
He said that the national policies must be formulated in such a way that they were health-friendly and helpful in preventing and controlling NCDs, while children, adolescent and women鈥檚 health must be given special priority.
The chief adviser said that widespread public awareness and adoption of health-friendly policies and strategies at all levels could be a great tool in preventing and controlling NCDs.
He suggested taking initiatives to establish healthy lifestyles and responsible civic behaviour, and turning it into a social movement.
Yunus said that the implementation of the joint declaration requires private initiatives along with the government and regional and global technical cooperation.
鈥業 believe that if the initiatives are taken in this regard by applying the public-private partnership model, the joint declaration implementation will be easier. I hope that the health services division will take initiatives in this regard. The signatory ministries will cooperate. The World Health Organisation will provide the necessary support,鈥� he said.
The chief adviser said that intensive monitoring and evaluation were essential for the implementation of any action plan and these required appropriate and skilled manpower and financial allocation too.
He underscored the need for giving special priority to the implementation of the joint declaration and ensuring the necessary allocation and manpower to this end.
Earlier, Yunus handed over the joint declaration to the senior secretaries.
Senior secretaries and secretaries of 35 ministries signed the joint declaration on the NCDs.
Health and family welfare adviser Nurjahan Begum, special assistant on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Professor Dr Md Sayedur Rahman, health services division secretary Md Saidur Rahman and WHO director for programme management for South-East Asia Region Dr Thaksaphon Thamarangsi also spoke.
Advisers, the cabinet secretary, the chief adviser鈥檚 principal secretary, senior secretaries, secretaries, senior government officials and representatives from development partners were present at the event.
