ProblemBangladesh has yet to develop a fully integrated health information system infrastructure that is critical to guiding policy development and planning.ApproachInitial pilot telemedicine and eHealth programmes were not coordinated at national level. However, in 2011, a national eHealth policy was implemented.Local settingBangladesh has made substantial improvements to its health system. However, the country still faces public health challenges with limited and inequitable access to health services and lack of adequate resources to meet the demands of the population.Relevant changesIn 2008, eHealth services were introduced, including computerization of health facilities at sub-district levels, internet connections, internet servers and an mHealth service for communicating with health-care providers. Health facilities at sub-district levels were provided with internet connections and servers. In 482 upazila health complexes and district hospitals, an mHealth service was set-up where an on-duty doctor is available for patients at all hours to provide consultations by mobile phone. A government operated telemedicine service was initiated and by 2014, 43 fully equipped centres were in service. These centres provide medical consultations by qualified physicians to patients visiting rural and remote community clinics and union health centres.Lessons learntDespite early pilot interventions and successful implementation, progress in adopting eHealth strategies in Bangladesh has been slow. There is a lack of common standards on information technology for health, which causes difficulties in data management and sharing among different databases. Limited internet bandwidth and the high cost of infrastructure and software development are barriers to adoption of these technologies.
In recent years, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become epidemic in Bangladesh. Behaviour changing interventions are key to prevention and management of NCDs. A great majority of people in Bangladesh have low health literacy, are less receptive to health information, and are unlikely to embrace positive health behaviours. Mass media campaigns can play a pivotal role in changing health behaviours of the population. This review pinpoints the role of mass media campaigns for NCDs and the challenges along it, whilst stressing on NCD preventive programmes (with the examples from different countries) to change health behaviours in Bangladesh. Future research should underpin the use of innovative technologies and mobile phones, which might be a prospective option for NCD prevention and management in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh, a developing country, has one of the highest rates of age-standardized mortality due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The prevalence of NCDs is steadily increasing within all population groups, including indigenous communities in Bangladesh. Indigenous people, non-dominant communities of society, are individuals having distinctive social, economic or political systems, and preserving own languages, cultures and beliefs. Contemporary research proposes that negative health behaviors, especially tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and alcohol consumption are becoming escalating problems in Bangladesh. Indigenous communities with low health literacy are less receptive to health information and are unlikely to embrace positive health behaviors. Three major barriers to change health behaviors toward preventing NCDs among indigenous people in Bangladesh are: unawareness of the severity and/or importance of NCDs; absence of health literacy or knowledge on NCDs; and lack of advocacy for health intervention programs for indigenous patients suffering from NCDs. Intertwined within socio-economic delusions and discrepancies, indigenous people miss out on health care to prevent NCDs. Mass media campaigns have both an extensive coverage and an awareness-constructing potential to educate and influence intended audiences attitudes on changing health related behaviors. Bangladesh can change health behaviors within indigenous communities by adopting some effective strategies, including using multifaceted mass media to intensify coverage of the health campaigns, underpinning stereotyping health beliefs and conveying unidentified details about NCDs, and developing risk-reduction strategies for indigenous patients suffering from NCDs. Multi-stakeholder and intergovernmental mechanisms and mass media campaigns can be effective options for changing health behaviors of indigenous people in Bangladesh.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.6(2) 2016: 17-22
Abstract:Gender equity refers to the fairness and justice in the allocation of benefits and responsibilities between women and men, while gender-based inequity may emanate from a psychosocial, epidemiological; or perhaps a global perspective. The concepts of gender equity are merely elusive; nevertheless, increasingly have been used inappropriately. Gender inequities in mental health, pervasive in South Asian societies, indicate biases in power, resources, entitlements, and the way organizations are arranged and programs are designed to adversely affect the lives of millions of women. Four major areas highlighted in this study are: Prevalence of gender inequality in mental health; role of gender in South Asia; unraveling gender and mental health paradox in South Asia; and effective strategies to minimize gender inequality. Eliminating gender inequalities requires not only acknowledging the necessity of basic medical services to women, but scrutinizing mental health through a gender lens and taking measures for expanding women's accessibility, affordability and suitability to mental health facilities in South Asian countries.
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