Professionals not performing duties to achieve MDGs

They said creating awareness among the stakeholders and performing of assigned duties by the professionals concerned could help achieve the targets.

The seminar on 'Achieving Millennium Development Goals on Maternal and Child Health in Rural Bangladesh: Lesson Learnt from GK Programme Villages' was organised by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) at its conference room at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city.

Presenting the keynote paper Dr Rafiqul Huda Chowdhury, adviser of Gonoswasthya Kendra (GK) and director of GK Population and Health Economics Research Unit, said in order to achieve MDG maternal mortality rate (MMR), we have to bring down the MMR to 143 per lakh.

The GK has already brought down the MMR to 186 at 592 villages under 31 unions in 11 districts where it is now working, he added.

He said according to national data the current MMR is 320 which was 570 in 1990.

Dr Rafiqul said in order to achieve MDG infant mortality rate (IMR), we have to bring down the IMR to 32 per thousand.

The GK has already achieved 30.3 IMR in their project area, he added.

He said according to national data the current IMR is 56 and it was 94 in 1990.

Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, executive director of GK, said there is adequate infrastructural facilities in the country to achieve the goals but the professionals are not performing their duty properly.

He said most of the physicians of public hospitals are busy in private practice and that's why general patients are not getting their service.

Dr Zafrullah said the GK has achieved the two targets by creating awareness among the local people and using the prevailing infrastructures.

He urged the professionals and authorities concerned to discharge their duties properly to help achieve the MDGs.

Presided over by BIDS Director General Dr Quazi Shahabuddin, the seminar was participated by BIDS Research Director Dr Asaduzzaman and different NGO representatives.