Under-five child mortality now lower
Says Prof Talukder
Centre for Women and Child Health Chairman Dr MQK Talukder addresses a conference, 'Global meet on determinants of sustainanble development: Road to Rio +20,' at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the capital yesterday. Sitting from right are Institute of Public Heath Nutrition Bangladesh Director Prof M Akhlasur Rahman, Dr Amenul Haque, Nijera Kori Executive Director Khushi Kabir and Health Ministry Additional Secretary Dr Makhduma Nargis. Photo: STAR
Now 12 more children in every 1,000 live births are able to celebrate their fifth birthday while nine more infants per 1,000 live births make it to their first year, said noted child health expert Prof MQK Talukder yesterday. The under-five infant mortality per 1,000 live births went down from 65 to 53 between 2008 and 2010 while the rate for newborns in their first year reduced from 52 to 43 during the period, he said, referring to government statistics. Meanwhile, the rate of underweight under-fives reduced from 41 to 36 percent while the rate for exclusive breast feeding up to six months of age rose from 44 to 64 percent, he added. Prof Talukder, chairman of Centre for Woman and Child Health, was addressing the second session, “Hunger, health equity and sustainable development”, of a two-day international conference at a city hotel. The conference, “Global meet on determinants of sustainable development: Road to Rio+20”, was organised by Eminence, a non-government organisation, and over a dozen similar organisations. The conference aimed at creating awareness among key global actors into including the importance of health in the agendas of the Rio+20 summit, scheduled to be held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from June 20 to 22. Presenting a keynote, social activist Khushi Kabir said poverty is the main cause behind hunger and malnutrition in Bangladesh. Over 9.5 million pre-school children are stunted while more than 50 percent of women suffer from chronic energy deficiency, she said. Health ministry's Additional Secretary Dr Makhduma Nargis and Institute of Public Health Nutrition Bangladesh Director Prof M Akhlasur Rahman also spoke at the session. Addressing the inaugural session as chief guest, Food Minister Abdur Razzaque stressed the need for improving the disaster management system in Bangladesh to ensure sustainable socio-economic development, whose three components are society, economy and environment. An initiative to automate the country's hospitals was taken to attain sustainable development, said Prof Dr Abul Kalam Azad, additional director general of Directorate General of Health Services. Addressing the third session, “ICT, Health and Sustainable Development”, chaired by UNDP Bangladesh Assistant Country Director KAM Morshed, he said the automation process will begin from this fiscal. The government will also create a database for patients, enabling doctors to easily and quickly get an overview of the patient's history. The data collection might take two to three years and will start off with rural people, he added.
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