Manmohan's visit
Call to include health issues in discussions
Leading public health advocates from India and Bangladesh are desperately pursuing their highest leaders to include health issues in bilateral discussions as Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh begins his landmark official trip to Bangladesh today.
Sources in New Delhi and Dhaka said two identical memos were submitted to Singh on Sunday and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday, seeking their wholehearted support for due importance to health during their bilateral meeting today.
"I submitted the letter to the prime minister of India this morning. He read the letter and was supportive. He enquired if the letter was also submitted to the prime minister of Bangladesh.
“I told him that the letter would be handed to her by Monday," said Prof K Srinath Reddy, president of Public Health Foundation of India.
In the letter, Reddy said, "We are writing to seek your considered support for a strong bilateral initiative for strengthening public health in both countries through collaboration in education, learning and research."
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Pran Gopal Datta handed over the letter to Sheikh Hasina's office yesterday.
He told the news agency that they were pursuing both prime ministers to take joint initiatives to promote universal health coverage (UHC), prevent communicable and infectious diseases like bird flu and eradicate polio.
Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni on Sunday said Dhaka and New Delhi are set to sign a comprehensive framework cooperation agreement alongside several other memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and protocols.
She, however, did not mention anything about health issues for discussions in the upcoming meeting.
Senior Advisor to Rockefeller Foundation's Bangkok Office Dr Mushtaque R Chowdhury said health should be one of the most priority areas for discussions and agreements during the meeting.
The two countries, Mushtaque said, have similar health-related statistics such as infant mortality, life expectancy and maternal mortality.
Though Bangladesh remains in a marginally better position, there is a huge inter-state health inequity in India and significant inter-district inequity in Bangladesh in terms of access to healthcare and health outcomes, he said.
“Universal coverage”, where everyone is covered for basic healthcare services and none is denied care as long as they are legal residents in the geography covered, is low in India and almost non-existent in Bangladesh, he said.
However, India started several schemes on UHC under direct patronage and support of Manmohan and there is no reason why Bangladesh and India cannot do it together, argued Mushtaque.
Many low and middle-income countries such as Thailand, Ghana, Rwanda and Mexico have already achieved UHC, which reduces out-of-pocket costs, ensures greater access of women and children to healthcare and reduces corruption.
Mushtaque said it would be highly impacting if the two prime ministers, in their joint communiqué, express their determination towards cooperation in public health and, specifically, to promote and support UHC in two countries.
The Bangladesh government is considering UHC now, he said, but insisted that in order to move it forward, it requires full political commitment from Sheikh Hasina.
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