The two-day long scientific congress on NCDs has been arranged by 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) at BSMMU.
While inaugurating the event, Asadul Islam, Secretary to the Health Service Division said, “The first Scientific Conference on NCDs will strengthen ties between medical and public health researchers of the country...researchers will have the opportunity to present and share the work on NCDs with national and international experts.”
He mentioned that the congress will also help develop various practical strategies for tackling NCDs in Bangladesh.
Vice-Chancellor of BSMMU, Konok Kanti Barua said the congress on NCDs will open a door for a better cure and prevention of such diseases.
Acting Executive Director of ICDDRB and former Secretary Syed Manzoorul Islam also spoke. ICDDR, B's Initiative for Non-Communicable Disease Director Dr Alia Nahid along with other government department officials, scientists, teachers and researchers were present at the programme.
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.
More than 400 participants attended the event and about 200 abstracts were submitted. An independent jury board under each theme will select the awards for the best oral and the poster presentations.
According to various data presented at the programme, in Bangladesh, there has been an 8.7 percent rise in deaths related to NCDs between 2010 and 2016.
One in four Bangladeshi adult age 25 years or over are hypertensive, while one in ten had diabetes, according to a 2015 estimate.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 5 lakh deaths in country were related to NCDs in 2016. Since 2010, seven out of 10 deaths were due to NCDs in the country.
The congress will come to an end on October 21.