The Clinical Research Platform of Bangladesh, a tripartite initiative of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and the British Medical Journal (BMJ), will organise the congress, said press conference held at BSMMU on Thursday.
The aim of the first ever scientific congress on NCDs is to develop a strong institutional platform and strengthen research collaborations between clinicians and public health researchers in Bangladesh. It also offers an opportunity to present and share their seminal works on NCDs with national and international experts. Eventually, it will help develop pragmatic strategies for tackling NCDs in Bangladesh, and achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.4, focused on ‘reduction of pre-mature mortality by one-third from non-communicable diseases within 2030 through prevention and treatment, and to promote mental health and wellbeing’.
Nine key thematic issues have been selected for the Congress comprising of i) hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, ii) prevention of diabetes in Bangladesh iii) stroke and other neurological disorders, iv) mental health and neuro development disorders, v) chronic kidney diseases, vi) rheumatology and musculoskeletal disorders, vii) chronic respiratory diseases, viii) oncology, and ix) evidence of NCDs in Bangladesh: prevention and control. The event is well received by both clinicians and public health researchers of the country, with more than 400 participants and about 200 abstracts submitted. An independent jury board under each theme will select the awards for the best oral and the poster presentations.
In Bangladesh, there has been an 8.7% rise (from 58.3% to 66.9%) between 2010 and 2016 in deaths related to non-communicable diseases . One in four Bangladeshi adult age 25 years or over are hypertensive, while one in ten had diabetes, according to a 2015 estimate. The prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is 13.5% by GOLD criteria among Bangladeshis. Prevalence of cancer is also very high – an estimated 1.3-1.5 million patients are suffering from cancer with 200,000 newly diagnosed cases each year. Kidney Foundation of Bangladesh estimates 18 million people suffer from kidney disease of which annually 35,000-40,000 patients develop chronic kidney diseases, eventually leading to kidney failure.
The 1st Scientific Congress on NCD will kick off with a pre-conference workshop titled ‘How to get your research published?” to be held on 19 October at icddr,b’s Sasakawa Auditoriam in Mohakhali, Dhaka.
The official inauguration will be held on 20 October, at Shaheed Dr Milon Hall, BSMMU where Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque will be the Chief Guest.
More detail will be available at: http://www.crplatform.icddrb.org/conference-copy