COVID 19 Pandemic and Denial of Healthcare
In a country where health care facilities are already inadequate, how can the government and private hospitals are shutting down their medical services? A largely unnoticed, undeclared and sinister shut down of outdoor, indoor and emergency services raises serious questions about the right to health, more so during the time of COVID 19 pandemic. This is a picture of healthcare situation after the novel corona virus (COVID 19) outbreak in the country since 8th March, 2020 depicting serious violation of human of human rights. What should we contemplate to do immediately?
Systematic Denial of Healt (Read More)
Shasthya Andolon
Construction labour
Rawshon Ara Begum (43) is a construction labour. The husband has deserted her. She lives at Pallavi, Mirpur, Dhaka. She has been working as a labour for construction since her husband deserted her. She becomes sick of headache if she curries heavy load on head. It is tough to earn my food and how can I see a doctor, she mentions. Four years ago she visited Shohrawardy Hospital, Dhaka for chest pain. The doctors diagnosed heart problem after investigation. She had taken medicines worth of Taka 400/- from pharmacy outside.
It takes a whole day if any on (Read More)
Diabetes: Poor people do not know and cannot afford treatment
Beat Diabetes – is the slogan of WHO (World Health Organization) to observe World Health Day this year (2016) on 7th April.
Shayshtha Andolon (Health Movement) organized an open discussion session on 6th April at Narigrantha Prabartana (Women Resource Center) in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. Over 40 participants from different professions including garment workers, health activists, women leaders, researchers, development organizations, members of Women Resource Center attended the discussion. The issue was “Raise Consciousness and Prevent Diabetes”.
Dr. M A Sobhan, Chair, BeezBistar Foundation, presided over and Pa (Read More)
How foods affect diabetes?
Diabetes is a disorder caused by insufficient or lack of production of insulin (a hormone) by the pancreas (a gland of the abdomen).Insulin is responsible for absorbing glucose (a simple sugar) into the blood stream, where it is available for body cells to use for growth and energy.
When people eat, the pancreas automatically produces the correct amount of insulin to absorb the glucose. In people with diabetes, the pancreas either produces little or no insulin or the body’s cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. Glucose builds up in the blood, over-flows into the urine and passes out of the body, with the resul (Read More)
Health Situation of Kaora Community
Shaystha Andolon organized a discussion session with Kaora community on 28th February 2016. The session was held in Arangghata, Khulna. Total 21 women and 6 adolescent girls attended the session. The main purpose of this session was to know the health status of Kaora community and the facilities they avail if they are sick.
Kaora Community belongs to schedule caste and their major occupation is pig rearing. It is their heredity and they do it generation after generation. Because of their occupation and intensive engagement in pig rearing, Kaora community is alone and they are ignored by all other sections. When a boy child reaches (Read More)
Patients and Health Service Providers & Facilities Protection Act 2016
Discussion Session, Jointly Organized by: Shasthya Andolon & UBINIG; 29th February, 2016; Venue: National Press Club, Dhaka
Introduction
Due to some incidents of deaths of patients alleged to have occurred due to negligence of attending doctors, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW), Government of Bangladesh proposed Patient and Health Service Providers Protection Act 2016.
As network health activists, Shasthya Andolon (Health Movement) expressed its deep concern over the proposed act because of its implications for patients’ rights as wel (Read More)
Open Discussion
Public Health service: Budget 2014 – 15 and health Management “Health care is much broader than treatment of diseases”
Shasthya Andolon Network (Health Movement Network) organized an open discussion meeting on “Public Health Service: Budget and health management" at the VIP Lounge, National Press Club Dhaka on 29 June, 2014. A total of 108 participants attended the discussion meeting. The participating organizations included Naripakkho, Bachte shekho Nari, Adibashi Forum, Narigrantha Prabartana, NIPSOM, Dhaka Community Hospital, Jatiyo Shasthya Odhikar Andolon, Chikitshak Songsad, Nirapad Development Foundat (Read More)
Demand for generic names of medicine
Shasthya Andolon discussion meeting on Increasing Drug prices and the healthcare system was held on 11 March, 2014 at 3 pm in Chayanaut meeting room, Dhaka. Palash Baral, Director of UBINIG conducted the meeting with Farida Akhter, Joint Convenor of Shasthya Andolon as the chair. It was attended by some government officials, health activists, Allopath and Ayurved practitioners, representatives of pharmacy shop owners association and health researchers. Any discussion on health usually ends up in treatment of diseases and the treatment means only prescription and use of medicines. So the meeting focused the discussion on very practical expe (Read More)
Shortage of doctors and nurses:
Shortage of doctors and nurses: Dismal picture of the rural healthcare in Bangladesh
In the rural Bangladesh, people go to “Sorkari Haspatal” (the government health facility) because they know that the ‘Daktar shaheb’ (doctor) is qualified. In times of sickness, they prefer government hospital over a private one, because it is “free” or much less costly than the private treatment. Most importantly, they trust the doctors. They feel it is their right to receive services from a government hospital. For a village patient, the nearest sophisticate (Read More)
Health is Constructing Buildings and Recruiting Cadres ?
Budgeting Health 2010 - 11
The Budget speech by the Finance Minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, on 10th June, 2010, touched upon Health and Family Welfare in the 139th paragraph; it clearly indicates health sector unfortunately is not a priority sector, not even the health service delivery to the people. The neo-liberal paradigm denies that government has responsibility to ensure health service delivery 'free of cost' to the people. The introductory remarks of the Finance Minister were pathetically dry on this vital sector which is important not only for soc (Read More)
Reality Check, 2009 on Primary Health Care
Declining quality of public health services is leading to increased use of private healthcare services
20 May 2010. DHAKA: Shasthya Andolon, a network of researchers, physicians, and health and environmental activists organised a "Dissemination & Discussion Session" on sharing of findings of the study Reality Check Bangladesh 2009: Listening to Poor People's Realities about Primary Healthcare. Shasthaya has organised this event on behalf of Sida (Swedish International Development Agency) as their commitment to engage with the policy makers and development partners to create (Read More)
Towards Peoples' Health Care System 2009
Seminar on National Health Policy, 2009
Shasthya Andolon (Health Movement) is a group of health activists involving health practitioners, researchers, policy advocacy groups, journalists and, women’s groups, environmental groups and social activists formed in 2000. UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternative) has been acting as the secretariat of the Network. The two co-Convenors are Dr. Naila Zaman Khan, Professor of Child Development and Neurology, Dhaka Shishu Hospital and Farida Akhter, executive Director of UBINIG.
As a network Shashtya Andolon first m (Read More)
Shasthya Andolon Against Rid Pharma
Protest against the producer of Paracetamol syrup
Shasthya Andolon organized a human chain in front of the National Drug Administration office in Motijheel, CA in Dhaka. They demanded immediate arrest of five officials of the Rid Pharmaceuticals, including its managing director, accused of causing the deaths of children with poisonous syrup.
Twenty-seven children have died of renal failure after the intake of "Temset" paracetamol syrup of the company. Shasthya Andolon in collaboration with Shasthya Odhikar Andolon o Jote (Health Right Movement) Human Rights orgnisation (Read More)
Towards Peoples' Health Policy 2008
Seminar on Health Policy, 2008 under Caretaker Government
The care taker government (2007-2008) of Bangladesh with the mandate of giving a free and fair election by December, 2008 came up with the National Health policy – Update, 2008 in August 2008. The draft was prepared by a committee formed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and was given in the website for suggestions from relevant quarters within September 15, 2008, later extended to September.
Shashthya Andolon, a group of health activists inv (Read More)
"Wrong Treatment or Negligence"
Bangladesh health care system, both public and private, is facing serious ‘allegations’ of wrong treatment of diseases resulting in the death, casualty or disability of the patient. The news is published in daily newspapers coming from almost all the districts of the country. Although it is not a new phenomenon at all, but massive complains It indicate that wrong treatment is widespread and happening again and again with no solution in sight.
The recent incident of such “wrong treatment” in one of the private clinics in Rajshahi made another news headline not only for the death of the patient who died at (Read More)