Core Capacity Assessment Report on implementation

of IHR-2005 in Bangladesh  disseminated

A Report of Core Capacity Assessment for implementation of (International Health Regulations)  IHR 2005 in Bangladesh was disseminated at  a workshop held on Saturday, July 25, 2009, at the  IEDCR Auditorium. Describing both the strengths and weaknesses of the overall system, the evaluation report pointed out that “for implementation of IHR 2005 in Bangladesh there is an established disease  surveillance system. There remains room for further strengthening  lab capacity at different levels, especially at district and upazila levels for detection of PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concerns). Bangladesh has the capacity to respond to public health emergency but needs to build up surge capacity for unexpected large-scale outbreaks.”

 With Professor Dr Mahmudur Rahman, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) in the Chair, the inaugural function of the workshop was addressed by Dr Duangvadee Sungkhobol, WHO Country Representative to Bangladesh, Professor Dr Hosne Ara Tahmin, Additional Director General of Directorate General of Health Services, Dr Md Jahangir Alam Khan, Director General of Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) and Dr Anwar Hossain Munshi, Joint Secretary, Public Health, MoHFW. Dr Be-Najir Ahmed, Senior Scientific Officer of IEDCR presented the evaluation report in the workshop. The evaluation was done by IEDCR with technical support of WHO Bangladesh.

Dr Duangvadee Sungkhobol, WHO Country Representative to Bangladesh said that the IHR 2005 aims at providing a legal framework for the prevention, detection and containment of public health risks at its source, before they spread across borders, through the collaborative actions of state parties and the WHO. She felt that the state parties must have the capacity to detect public health events through a well-established national surveillance and response infrastructure. State parties are required to collaborate actively with each other, together with WHO, to mobilize the financial resources, she said. Sungkhobol also said that the IHR 2005 came into effect in June 2007 and Bangladesh Government is capable of meeting the requirements of IHR.

Expressing his satisfaction over the implementation status of IHR 2005, the  IEDCR Director, Professor Mahmudur Rahman, opined that implementation of IHR is obligatory for all the countries and assessment should also be done, soon  after implementation.

Civil Surgeons from the districts and concerned national experts attended the workshop.