Call to intensify essential health care services

RAJSHAHI: Effective and responsive support from media is very vital to infuse more dynamism into the existing essential health care services to the poor and distressed mothers and infants, speakers at a media dialogue here said yesterday, reports BSS. They mentioned that time has come to public exposure of the efforts by both government and non-government organisations towards maximising the reach and underserved population with quality services at an affordable or no cost fee.
In the brand name of 'smiling sun health clinic', USAID-DFID NGO Health Service Delivery Project (NHSDP) and Tilottama jointly organised the regional media dialogue titled "Journalism in essential Health Care Services" held at a city hotel revealing the successes and other working experiences of the project in the region.
Team leader of NHSDP Dr Halida Hanum Akhter addressed the discussion as focal person while Prof Dr Khalequzzaman, Co-Chairman of Tilottama, welcomed the participants. Editor of Daily Sonali Sangbad Liakat Ali and Editor of Daily Sonar Desh Akbarul Hassan Millat also spoke among others.
In their keynote presentations, Director of Bangladesh Centre for Communication Programme of NHSDP and its Media Coordinator Mustafa Jamal gave an overview of the dialogue and role of media. Tilottama Project Director Abjalur Rashid, JTS Project Director Dr Farid Uddin Faruki, PSF Project Director Abdul Kader, Tilottoma Clinic Manager Zahirul Hassan and BAMANEH Project Director Habibur Rahman narrated their respective activities related to promoting birth preparedness, saving lives of mother and neonates, serving underserved population of the community and access to unmarried adolescents in educational institutions.
Dr Halida Hanum Akhter said Smiling Sun clinics always provide essential healthcare services at the doorsteps of the poor and extreme poor people through 14 clinics located in the region including Rajshahi city and more than 220 community health workers along with the support groups.
Prior to providing services, demand has been created among the community some iconic interventions were promoted among the pregnant mothers in order to make the surrounding people and service providers aware about the emergency needs and services available during pregnancy and for safe childbirth.
She said some major issues like increasing access to and use of the essential service package, especially among poor women, young women, newborns and under five children, improving healthy behaviors and care seeking practices and enhancing ownership of service delivery are being maintained strictly.
Dr Halida Hanum Akhter said maternal and newborn services are the two priorities of essential service package components of the project, which took a number of strategic steps for improving the access to and quality of these services. The project is also carrying-out counseling, training and promotional campaigns on how to ensure a safe delivery. It provides free maternal health, infant care, and primary care services to the poor for hundred per cent institutional delivery.
"Antenatal care and institutional delivery are considered as the effective means of preventing various types of high risk factors like pre-eclampsia, post-eclampsia, antepartum hemorrhage, post-partum hemorrhage and obstructed labour," Dr Halida said. She urged the attending journalists to highlight the aspects of providing reproductive health care services. More than 35 journalists working in national and local dailies, news agencies and electronics media from different districts in the region attended the dialogue and took part in its discussion actively.

Call to intensify essential health care services

RAJSHAHI: Effective and responsive support from media is very vital to infuse more dynamism into the existing essential health care services to the poor and distressed mothers and infants, speakers at a media dialogue here said yesterday, reports BSS. They mentioned that time has come to public exposure of the efforts by both government and non-government organisations towards maximising the reach and underserved population with quality services at an affordable or no cost fee. In the brand name of smiling sun health clinic, USAID-DFID NGO Health Service Delivery Project (NHSDP) and Tilottama jointly organised the regional media dialogue titled Journalism in essential Health Care Services held at a city hotel revealing the successes and other working experiences of the project in the region. Team leader of NHSDP Dr Halida Hanum Akhter addressed the discussion as focal person while Prof Dr Khalequzzaman, Co-Chairman of Tilottama, welcomed the participants. Editor of Daily Sonali Sangbad Liakat Ali and Editor of Daily Sonar Desh Akbarul Hassan Millat also spoke among others. In their keynote presentations, Director of Bangladesh Centre for Communication Programme of NHSDP and its Media Coordinator Mustafa Jamal gave an overview of the dialogue and role of media. Tilottama Project Director Abjalur Rashid, JTS Project Director Dr Farid Uddin Faruki, PSF Project Director Abdul Kader, Tilottoma Clinic Manager Zahirul Hassan and BAMANEH Project Director Habibur Rahman narrated their respective activities related to promoting birth preparedness, saving lives of mother and neonates, serving underserved population of the community and access to unmarried adolescents in educational institutions. Dr Halida Hanum Akhter said Smiling Sun clinics always provide essential healthcare services at the doorsteps of the poor and extreme poor people through 14 clinics located in the region including Rajshahi city and more than 220 community health workers along with the support groups. Prior to providing services, demand has been created among the community some iconic interventions were promoted among the pregnant mothers in order to make the surrounding people and service providers aware about the emergency needs and services available during pregnancy and for safe childbirth. She said some major issues like increasing access to and use of the essential service package, especially among poor women, young women, newborns and under five children, improving healthy behaviors and care seeking practices and enhancing ownership of service delivery are being maintained strictly. Dr Halida Hanum Akhter said maternal and newborn services are the two priorities of essential service package components of the project, which took a number of strategic steps for improving the access to and quality of these services. The project is also carrying-out counseling, training and promotional campaigns on how to ensure a safe delivery. It provides free maternal health, infant care, and primary care services to the poor for hundred per cent institutional delivery. Antenatal care and institutional delivery are considered as the effective means of preventing various types of high risk factors like pre-eclampsia, post-eclampsia, antepartum hemorrhage, post-partum hemorrhage and obstructed labour, Dr Halida said. She urged the attending journalists to highlight the aspects of providing reproductive health care services. More than 35 journalists working in national and local dailies, news agencies and electronics media from different districts in the region attended the dialogue and took part in its discussion actively.