The British Council in Dhaka has organised a special event on Monday at its Fuller Road headquarter in the capital, presenting the findings of the exclusive research titled “Presentation of findings and recommendations and workshop: Examples of health partnerships and health professional education.”
This research is a collaboration between the University of Manchester Tropical Health and Education Trust and IRD Global and funded by the British Council, emphasising the Bangladesh government’s drive to professionalise and upskill the health sector, alongside creating an opportunity for the UK to support this agenda.
The researchers aimed to analyse documents, interviews, and observations to explore the extent of competency-based health worker education in Bangladesh, as well as the barriers and facilitators to the establishment and maintenance of health partnerships between UK and Bangladesh health organisations, according to the British Council.
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni joined the event as the chief guest, alongside special guests including British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson, Secretary of the Medical Education and Family Welfare Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Md Saiful Hassan Badal, British Council Director of Education David Maynard and the speakers who presented their research findings.
Lauding the initiative, Dr Dipu Moni said, “The research came as a response to the Bangladeshi High Commissioner to London Saida Muna Tasneem’s request regarding training facilities for our nurses. As we enable them to upskill own selves through such an integrated facilitation process, I am sure they will pursue better careers outside Bangladesh, especially in the UK. This has been a great addition to our overall local medical education system, and we look forward to similar partnership opportunities with gratitude for the UK govt and institutions”.
British High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson said, “The UK has always stood beside Bangladesh and other countries, ensuring ample creation and utilization of development opportunities. UK's NHS, Health England, University of Manchester, FCDO Health team, and the British Council, along with Bangladeshi partners and stakeholders like the Ministry of Health, IRD, and CIPRB, together, have created a great example of collaboration for the betterment of Bangladesh’s health sector and medical education.”
“I hope this research will help to map how Bangladesh can assure improved quality and quantity of healthcare staff in the country, and eventually lead to recognition and accreditation on health qualifications,” he added.
Saiful Hassan Badal, Secretary of Medical Education and Family Welfare Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said: “Eyeing the SDG 2030 objectives, the Bangladesh government has been actively accelerating for excellence in all of its major sectors, including the healthcare sector; and to guarantee world-class medical facilities within the country, we must train our upcoming health professionals under global-standard systems. The research shall play a pivotal role in this background, generating top-skilled medical professionals who can enable Bangladesh to meet WHO-set guidelines.”
At the event, the speakers also addressed valuable priority recommendations on developing the UK-Bangladesh health alliance through higher education and partnerships, building resources and funding, increasing public support for nurses as well as strengthening health professional education through international alliances.