‘Enhanced engagement of people would ensure functional community clinic’

The engagement of community people is crucial to ensure a properly functional community clinic as it is a public-private partnership venture, said Syed Modasser Ali, chairman, Community Clinic Health Service Trust (CCHST), under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

“Where the Community Group (CG) is active, the community clinic is effective and functional there. Strengthening CG is a must to activate and functionalise the community clinics,” he said at a workshop on Thursday.

The workshop, titled “Role of Community Clinics and Local Government Institutions to Sustain Primary Health Care and Nutrition Services”, was organised at a city hotel in Dhaka, by World Vision Bangladesh (WVB) under USAID’s Nobo Jatra Project II (NJP II).

Quiume Talukder, line director, Community Based Health Care (CBHC), CCHST, presided over the workshop. Suresh Bartlett, national director, WVB, inaugurated the programme with his opening remarks while Lima Hanna Daring, chief of party (CoP), Nobo Jatra Project II, shared the brief overview of the project.

Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, director general (acting), Bangladesh Nutrition Council (BNNC); Mahbub Arefin Rezanur, divisional chief (field), Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN); and Mustapha EL Hamzaoui, director- Humanitarian Assistance Office, USAID Bangladesh, and Nahid Ferdausi, director, Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib Eye Hospital and Training Institute, Gopalganj, were present as special guests.

Local government representatives, civil surgeons of Khulna and Satkhira Districts, Khulna divisional health department head, health officials, representatives of NGOs, journalists among others were also present.

Suresh Bartlett, national director, WVB, thanked USAID and the people of the United States for extending funds for sustainability in Bangladesh through the Nobo Jatra Project, under an effective partnership and collaboration with WVB.

On the occasion, Lima Hanna Daring shared a brief overview of the project funded by USAID. She informed that minimum dietary diversity of women has increased from 49.0 per cent to 53.6 per cent in the NJP II area in four upazilas under Satkhira and Khulna districts. Afound 40.9 per cent mothers received at least four Antenatal Care (ANC) in the NJP area which was 24.1 per cent in the baseline of the project in 2017. Due to the project intervention, exclusive breastfeeding has increased to 57.5 per cent from 29.2 per cent, she added.

Rafiqul Islam, deputy secretary, Health Services Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in his opening remarks said “We want to transform the community clinics to Smart community clinics by 2041.”

He said a number of 13,949 community health care providers (CHCP) are going to be permanent government service holders and get salaries under Grade-14 of the government.

The chair of the event, Quiume Talukder, said “Community clinic (CC) is an institution for providing health education but not medication. It is mainly referring patients to formal hospitals.”

Bangladesh is proud of the community clinic which is a brainchild of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as it is recognised by the United Nations and the model is adopted by many countries.

Attending the workshop as a special guest, BNNC DG Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman thanked World Vision Bangladesh and said Khulna Division in Bangladesh has always been first in health indicators.

Mustapha EL Hamzaoui, director of Humanitarian Assistance Office, USAID Bangladesh, said “Bangladesh is on the peak of success. We continue collaboration with the Bangladesh Government. Through the Nobo Jatra Project, a lot of successes have been achieved in reducing malnutrition, stunting, wasting and underweight in Southwestern Bangladesh.”

Speaking about sustainability, Mustapha EL Hamzaoui, said “Sustainability is the paramount of success. Thus, the local grassroots organisations need to be strengthened. This is why, 25 per cent of the budgets of USAID is going to strengthening local organisations.”