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Polio & diarrhea: The top infanticides |
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September 19, 2000
Cox’s Bazar (UNB) – Identifying polio and diarrhea as the main culprits for high child mortality rate in the country, the Health Minister said the government has taken up massive programmes for the development of child health. “Eradication of polio and control of diarrhea can help reduce the child mortality rate to a great extent,” Health Minister Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim said inaugurating a national workshop on child health development here Sunday. Although the present government has succeeded in its efforts to reduce the child mortality rate, it’s still much higher compared to other countries of the world, the minister told the function. Chaired by DG of Health Services Prof ABM Ahsanullah, the function was addressed, among others, by local MP Muhammad Ali, Health Secretary Sajed Alamgir Farrouk Chowdhury, UNICEF representative Shahida Azfar, WHO representative Dr George Komba Kono, Director of Primary Health Care and Diarrhoea Control Abul Baki and Cox’s Bazar Civil Surgeon Dr ANM Abdul Hye. Referring to the government’s Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) programme, Selim said it has contributed a lot to reducing the country’s child mortality rate. Under this programme, he said, almost all doctors of the country’s 64 districts have been imparted training while training to all health workers is expected to be completed by Nov 2000. The Health Minister said in Bangladesh the under-five child mortality rate is 92 in 1000, infant mortality rate is 57 per thousand and maternal mortality rate is 300 per one lakh. He said the government would observe the ensuing National Immunisation Week in a befitting manner with a view to eradicating polio from Bangladesh by 2000 although WHO says Bangladesh requires 2001 to reach the goal. Sheikh Selim emphasised the need for providing education to school students on malnutrition, blindness caused by Vitamin ‘A’ and iodine deficiencies, breast-feeding and measures on diarrhoea control under health education programme. All civil surgeons of the country’s 64 districts, divisional health directors, UNICEF and WHO representatives, including the concerned officials of polio and diarrhoea control programmes attended the workshop, according to a PID handout. |