Bangladeshi
What actually drives Bangladeshi patients overseas for treatment?
Even though there are top-notch doctors in Bangladesh, many people fly abroad for treatment as they cannot rely on the local medical systems, according to both healthcare experts and patients.
In some cases, they said, the patients find the medical treatment relatively more cost-effective in some countries than hospitals in Bangladesh.
"The behaviour of health workers, including physicians also matters…it’s very important to me as others,” said Mujibur Rahman, a retired engineer.
According to healthcare observers, mismanagement, shortage of manpower and poor waste management system, widespread corruption, and irregularities, staff’s insincerity and casual monitoring by the authorities concerned are the major obstacles to ensuring quality treatment and patient-friendly environment in the country’s almost all public and private hospitals.
They said the country’s healthcare system needs a complete overhaul to ensure quality treatment and diagnoses at local hospitals and diagnostic centres to discourage people from going abroad for treatment and check huge foreign currency from going down the drain every year.
Talking to UNB, former World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Advisor Muzaherul Huq, former director (disease control) of DGHS Be-Nazir Ahmed, and public health expert MH Chowdhury (Lenin) made the observations.
Growing outbound-medical tourists
According to a report carried by the Times of India on Jul 24 this year, a huge majority of medical tourists — 54.3% — who visited India last year were from Bangladesh, followed by 9% from Iraq, 8% from Afghanistan, 6% from the Maldives and 4.5% from a group of African nations.
Citing the data released by the Indian Union Tourism Ministry, the report also said Bangladesh accounted for 23.6% of medical tourists in 2009, while the Maldives had the highest share at 57.5%. While Bangladesh’s share increased, that of the Maldives went down in the last 10 years.
A recent survey report of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) said a large portion of people travel to different countries from Bangladesh mainly for treatment.
Among the outbound tourists from Bangladesh in the 2018-19 financial year, it said, 60.41 percent went to India alone.
The BBS report said 29 percent of the total Bangladeshi tourists abroad spent money on receiving treatment in different countries.
In the 2018-19 FY, Bangladeshis spent Tk 9,933 crore on treatment abroad while the total expenditure by the outbound tourists was Tk. 33,680 crore.
According to Bangladesh Outbound Tour Operators Forum, on average eight lakh people go abroad for treatment every year from Bangladesh while India is the most favourite destination for them. The other major destinations of Bangladeshi medical tourists are Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Many rich people also go to the USA, The UK and Dubai for treatment.
Experts, however, said the actual figures of Bangladeshis outbound-medical tourists and their expenditure are much higher.
Possible reasons
Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed said there are many good hospitals and qualified doctors in Bangladesh, but all hospitals cannot ensure quality treatment.
“There’re many skilled doctors and quality hospitals, mainly in Dhaka. But the country’s many districts lack quality hospitals and doctors. More worrying is that, many doctors compromise with medicine companies and the hospitals as they prescribe unnecessary tests and medicines, causing public trust deficiency,” he said.
The expert said many people have a negative impression that they may get deceived or subjected to wrong treatment and excessive medical bills for many critical diseases if they go to private hospitals in Bangladesh. “That’s why many people prefer to go abroad, including India, for treatment.”
Besides, he said, there is a serious problem that many doctors in Bangladesh are not ready to properly communicate with their patients as they find it unnecessary.
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“Actually, many patients get the similar treatment going all the way to India. Still, they’re happy as doctors there are polite and give due attention to them,” Dr Be-Nazir observed.
He said the treatment cost is relatively cheaper in the neighbouroing country. “The quality of their diagnostic centres is better than ours. We’ve many labs where proper tests are not possible.”
Besides, the expert said, some people, mainly the rich ones, consider receiving treatment overseas as a matter of prestige. “Our many politicians and government officials go abroad for the treatment of simple diseases, giving people a wrong message about the country’s healthcare system."
Prof Muzaherul Huq said there is a shortage of doctors, nurses, cleaners, medical technologists and other health workers in many government and private hospitals. “So, patients are denied their rights to receive proper treatment. More importantly, they aren’t happy with the services at the local hospitals.”
“We’ve world-class doctors, but we’re losing huge money as many people go abroad for treatment as they cannot rely on the country’s healthcare system,” he observed.
Dr Lenin, chairman of the medicine department at the Health and Hope Hospital, said many people go abroad for treatment mainly to avoid mismanagement, hassles and sufferings in both private and public hospitals in the country.
He said the medical expenses in many Indian hospitals are less than in Bangladesh. “The cost of quality treatment is much higher in private hospitals in Bangladesh. “There’re irregularities and mismanagement when it comes to medical bills in private hospitals.”
Overhauling health sector
Dr Be-Nazir said the government should now focus on overhauling the health sector rigorously with a master plan to improve the healthcare system and services of both private and public hospitals. “Proper training is necessary for our doctors to improve their communication skills and professional attitude.”
Besides, he said, the government should prepare a policy for the private healthcare sector to keep their services affordable and force them to maintain quality.
“Our politicians, high government officials go abroad for checkups or treatment. They can avail of such services here. It’ll help boost people’s confidence in local hospitals,” the expert said.
He said most private hospitals in Bangladesh lack professionalism as they give focus only on making money instead of improving services. “The manpower at the DGHS must be increased to enhance their capacity to monitor both the private and public hospitals properly.”
Dr Lenin said a full-fledged authority is now imperative to monitor and help flourish the private health sector and ensure people-friendly, quality and cost-effective services.
He said the government should bring the private health sector under a legal framework to enhance its quality, professionalism and restore people’s confidence in it.
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A senior journalist who was hospitalized twice in one year said ensuring hospital hygiene is also very important to attract patients by local medical facilities as hospitals in India are doing. “Whatever we do we need to do with sincerity. No one can deny the fact that patients always look for more compassion than commodified services.”
Bangladeshi Afrin to meet 40 Nobel laureates in Chemistry
A graduate of Cumilla University’s Department of Chemistry has got the opportunity to meet 40 Nobel laureates in her field from around the world.Khandaker Afrina Haque, from Cumilla’s Chauddagram, was a student of just the third graduating batch of the department at CU, and is now doing an M.Phil at BUET.She will travel to Germany to attend the 71st Nobel Laureates Reunion at Lindau, where she will have the opportunity to meet some 40 Chemistry laureates, when they gather in the German tourist town from June 26 - July 1 next year.Afrina is one of just two Bangladeshis invited to join them by the Lindau Nobel Laureate Committee after various screenings under the auspices of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. "It's like a dream, I never thought I would get such a huge opportunity," the budding chemist gushed. Afrina attained the highest GPAs - 3.89 at Bachelor's and 3.92 at Master's - recorded till now in the Chemistry Department of Cumilla University, and she was research-oriented from the very beginning.
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She said, “From the very beginning, I was interested in studying and researching.”She is currently pursuing research at BUET under Al Naqib Chowdhury, who advised her to apply for this event.Afrina's teachers are also happy with her success. Cumilla University Department of Chemistry’s Prof. Syedur Rahman said Afrina was talented and hardworking from the beginning. "We are very proud. Such students are the assets of the department, the star of Cumilla University. We look forward to more of her success," Prof. Syedur said.
READ: Russian Nobel winner: Peace Prize is for my paper, not meThe Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings focus on Nobel Prizes in Physiology, Medicine, Physics and Chemistry. Each meeting is organized consisting of various sessions, lectures, discussions, master classes, panel discussions and exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences of young researchers with Nobel laureates.
Bangladeshi American makes history
Bangladesh-origin American Shahana Hanif has made history by becoming the first Muslim woman elected to New York City Council.
“I was born and raised in Kensington, Brooklyn. I’m the daughter of Bangladeshi Muslim immigrants, a Lupus survivor, and an activist,” Shahana wrote in a Facebook post after the election results were called in her favour. “I’m humbled and proud to be the first Muslim woman elected to the New York City Council and the first woman to represent my district,” she wrote.
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“We are building an anti-racist, feminist city. We deserve a city that guarantees equitable education, invests in climate solutions, and makes our immigrant neighbors heard and safe. I’m ready to move our city forward in service of our progressive vision every day.”
Shahana will represent Brooklyn’s 39th District in the New York City Council.
Shahana knows first hand the problems facing our communities. She is a product of public schools having attended P.S. 230 and Brooklyn College, she’s an activist, community organizer, and public servant building with neighbors on our most local fights every day.
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Most recently she served as the Director of Organizing and Community Engagement in Councilmember Brad Lander’s office where she led grassroots initiatives like Participatory Budgeting, a process that gives NYers a say in how to spend City dollars in their neighborhoods.
She is also the first South Asian person elected to New York City Council and the District’s first woman Council Member.
Rani Yan Yan in race for Women Building Peace Award
Bangladeshi indigenous people's human rights defender Rani Yan Yan has made it to the finals of the coveted Women Building Peace Award.
This annual award, unveiled by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in 2020, honors women peace builders whose substantial and practical contributions to peace are an inspiration and guiding light for generations to come. The award will be given later in the day.
Rani Yan Yan is from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region of Bangladesh. She is also the advisor to the Chakma Circle Chief and the ceremonial queen (Rani) of the Chakma people and the Chakma Circle.
Indigenous people have long suffered violence and exploitation in this region, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands. Even after a peace accord was signed in 1997, indigenous communities have limited access to their land and basic needs.
Alleged rapes of indigenous women by people outside of their communities is common in the CHT, where perpetrators are sometimes treated with impunity.
In this context, Rani Yan Yan has sought to secure the protection and rights of indigenous women and to support their leadership in society.
Despite threats and attacks on her life, Rani Yan Yan collaborates with local, national, and international civil society organisations to promote peace and justice in CHT.
Of particular concern to her is the meaningful participation of indigenous peoples in the planning, reform, and implementation of legislation, national policies, and development actions that impact them, including those related to the UN sustainable development goals and climate change actions.
Her belief in democratic processes is reflected in her inclusive and equity-driven approach to strengthen sustainable peace and equality.
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The USIP received nominations of women peace builders from over 30 countries.
The nine finalists were selected by USIP’s Women Building Peace Council, an 18-member group of experts and leaders in the fields of gender and peace building.
Collectively, they represent eight countries and an intergenerational group of peace builders.
“USIP’s Women Building Peace Award is a strong symbol to the many women working for peace that their work matters,” said Ambassador Melanne Verveer, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and member of USIP’s Women Building Peace Council.
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“This award recognises the agency of women as leaders, not victims, in building lasting and sustainable peace," the Ambassador added.
Bangladeshi lensman Shahriar wins Nikon photo award
A photo of a passionate Bangladeshi tailor busy stitching dresses in a waterlogged city has won the top prize in the Next Generation category of Japan's prestigious Nikon Photo Contest 2020-21.
The photo, titled Karwaan Bazar, was shot by Bangladeshi photographer Shahriar Amin Fahim. He had sent the photo for the elite contest that started way back in 1969.
Some 26,000 participants from around 150 countries took part in the contest, and over 65,000 photos were submitted. And it was for the first time that a photographer from Bangladesh got an award in this contest.
Shahriar is an engineering graduate from the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET). He is a freelance photographer who has bagged over 30 national and international awards to date.
37 Bangladeshi returns after serving jail term in India
Thirty-seven Bangladeshi nationals, most of them teenagers, returned home on Monday after serving up to three years of jail term in India for illegal entry into the neighbouring country.
Petrapole Immigration Police handed the returnees – 13 girls, 20 boys and four women to Benapole Immigration Police in the evening.
They were trafficked to India through different points of the border with promises of jobs, but unfortunately landed in jail. The boys and girls were aged between 12 and 18 when they got trafficked.
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Binoy Krishna Mallik, executive director of Jashore Rights, said the victims went to India’s Bangalore three and half years back.
Ahsan Habib, officer-in-charge of Benapole Check-post Immigration, said the Bangladeshi nationals returned through travel permits.
They were later handed over to Benapole Port police from where two NGOs will receive them, he said.
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The returnees will have to stay there for 14-day institutional quarantine, he added.
E-passport services launched for Bangladeshi diaspora in USA
Bangladesh Embassy in Washington D.C has introduced the electronic passport (e-passport) services for catering to the needs of Bangladeshi diaspora in the USA.
Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA M Shahidul Islam and Secretary to the Security Services Division of the Home Ministry Md. Mokabbir Hossain jointly inaugurated the services at the Embassy in Washington.
The electronic passport (e-passport) system was officially launched by receiving two application forms from two applicants, said the Embassy on Saturday.
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The e-passport system was earlier inaugurated in the New York Consulate on September 10 and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington is the fourth in line after introducing it in Berlin and Athens.
Mokabbir Hossain said e-passport being the latest technology leaves no chance of fraudulence and it will be appreciated by all countries.
He mentioned that many developed countries have not yet been able to implement this e-passport system and Bangladesh is the first in South Asia to do so.
The Secretary also mentioned that synchronizing with the e-passport system, the government has already established e-Gates at the international airports of Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet which will ease the immigration procedures of passengers.
Ambassador Shahidul underscored the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for successful implementation of e-passport service as another landmark event of her attaining-“Digital Bangladesh”.
He hoped that the introduction of e-passports, in the year of 50th anniversary of independence and birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, would reduce the sufferings of Bangladeshi diaspora living all over the world.
The Ambassador said as pledged by the Government, the progression of this service from hand-written to electronic took a short span of time.
He emphasized the effective coordination between the Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP) and the missions abroad for rendering optimum services to the Bangladesh diaspora.
The Ambassador thanked the Security Services Division and Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP) for considering the commencement of e-passport services at the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington D.C as well as two Consulate General offices in New York and Los Angeles at the initial phase of introducing the new system.
READ: Bangladesh enters e-Passport era
Project Director of e-Passport project, Brigadier General Mr. Saidur Rahman Khan noted that after the inauguration of the e-passport system by the Prime Minister on 22 January 2021, Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP) has already distributed 10 lakh e-passports in the country.
He also mentioned that all the passport offices of the country were brought under the e-passport system at the end of June 2021 and now the system is being extended to Bangladesh missions abroad.
Bangladeshi artist makes semifinals at UK “Artist of the Year” exhibition
Bangladeshi creative impressionist artist and painter Mahfuzur Rahman has recently been positioned as one of the semifinalists in the “Artist of The Year” art competition, organized by the United Kingdom-based art organization The Artist Lounge.
His painting, titled "Ancestors", secured him this prestigious position at the first-ever edition of this competition and the artwork is now being exhibited in the virtual exhibition.
The competition called for artists worldwide, from June to July 2021, to share their best creations, offering 14 awards with artworks being entered in 12 different categories.
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“We are absolutely delighted with the overwhelming number and quality of entries - the standard was outstanding (with applications from 26 different countries) and it certainly made it very hard for our curators to shortlist the artworks moving forward to the next phase,” the organization stated about the competition.
Based in Dhaka, Bangladesh and currently residing in Dubai, UAE, artist Mahfuzur Rahman shared his feelings and excitement over this achievement to UNB.
Send money home in 5 seconds through Blaze
Bangladeshi expatriates living in different countries of the world will now be able to send money home in just five seconds through Blaze, the country’s first cross-border payment network.
Three organizations--Sonali Bank, HomePay HomePay, and ITCL--have taken the initiative to operate the Blaze service, creating a scope for the expatriates to send money home in five seconds -- 7/24.
Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy formally inaugurated the service as the chief guest through a virtual function chaired by Sonali Bank Limited chairman Ziaul Hasan Siddiqui.
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State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Bangladesh Bank’s deputy governor Ahmed Jamal, Sonali Bank Limited CEO & Managing Director Ataur Rahman Prodhan, ITCL MD & CEO Dr Kazi Saifuddin Munir and HomePay CEO Rubel Ahsan also spoke at the programme.
Addressing the programme, Sajeeb Wazed said the Awami League government’s next dream is to build a cashless society in the days to come. “Launching Blaze service is part of that dream.”
He said many people in the country do not have bank accounts as they completely depend on cash money. “But the cash money can be stolen and looted anytime. There’s also a scope for corruption in cash transactions. When we'll move to a cashless society, the scope for corruption will be reduced.”
Read Renowned online payment gateways in Bangladesh for domestic, international transactions
Bangladeshi youth shot dead in US
A 28-year-old Bangladeshi youth was shot dead allegedly by an unidentified gunman at South Philadelphia in Pennsylvania of United States on Tuesday night, his friends and police said.
The youth was identified as Moazzem Hossain Saju, son of Shams Uddin of Baradesh village under Muria union of Beanibazar upazila of Sylhet. He lived with his family in Northeast Philadelphia of Pennsylvania.
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Mashukul Islam Khan, president of Beanibazar Social and Cultural Association Pennsylvania Inc., said Saju was with friends on the streets of South Philadelphia on Tuesday night when a masked gunman tried to rob them.
A scuffle took place between the two sides during which the gunman shot Saju leaving him seriously injured.
He was rushed to Jefferson University Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.
Philadelphia police have not yet arrested anyone involved in the killing of the Bangladeshi youth.
However, police said the gunman was wearing a black dress and covered his face with a mask.