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Women in the capital Dhaka’s biggest slum, Korail, suffer from their reproductive health complications, living in a crammed and filthy environment, but do not have access to healthcare.

Doctors at a special medical camp on Sunday said, of the 30 patients they treated in the first such camp, most of them were women.

“They suffer from menstrual complications to botched abortion,” said Dr Apurbo Kumar Saha who attended to those patients in the camp organised by a private body, Good HEAL Trust.

“But most of them (women) took advice from the drug sellers,” he said.

The Trust that joined forces with the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh launched a clinic in April in the most crowded slums to help its dwellers get aware of health and diseases.

Conducting special camps is also the part of their activities.

A patient enrolled in the camp with Tk 30 received a ‘card’ that would ensure their all diagnostic tests and doctor’s consultancy at a discount, an effort that the Trust’s Executive Director Tanvir Raquib said was part of their initiative to launch health insurance.

The Korail clinic provides low-cost healthcare services regularly to the slum dwellers using telemedicine technology.

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Non Communicable Disease Diabetes Mellitus, Health Screening and Home Healthcare Service
As a result of advances in medical sciences and increased access to health care services, people are living much longer, and consequently the demography of Bangladesh is shifting towards an aging population. The population above the age of 60, presently constituting 7% of the total population of Bangladesh, is projected to be 10% by 2025 and 15% by 2050. Along with an aging population, Non-communicable diseases have emerged as the biggest burden of disease for this century. Therefore, it is imperative to create policies and domiciliary services that ensure proper management of NCD’s for the elderly in order to maintain equitable and just society.
Delivering care to the sick and the elderly in the comfort of home is a necessary aspect of healthcare service delivery. Since the turn of the century, the concept and practice of family doctors making house calls has declined. In addition, the acute shortage of both Nurses and Nurses Aid has made it difficult to deliver geriatric care to the elderly at home.  Since the elderly urban population prefers to reside at home with their families, changes in the urban family lifestyle have made caring for the elderly or disabled a challenge with regard to time, safety, privacy, dignity, comfort, and cost.
Good HEAL Trust aims to implement Home Healthcare Service (HHS), an urban home-based, non-medical assistance to the elderly, in order to enhance employment opportunities of the underprivileged  women and girls by enabling them to contribute as an integral part of society.  To become home healthcare service providers, there are no formal education requirements.  Interested individuals (moderately educated) are only expected to complete formal training under the supervision of licensed healthcare professionals for a few months.  At the end of the training program the trainees have to pass a standardized test.  By providing employment generating skills and creating employment opportunity for women, the Millennium Development Goal for women empowerment in Bangladesh can also be achieved.

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If you need help at home to attend to your ailing or elderly family members, just dial 01755660025.

A private body, Good Heal Trust, in partnership with the country’s largest healthcare network, the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (DAB), is now offering care service for Dhaka residents for a nominal charge.

A group of young women have been trained to look after the elderly at home, in hospitals, or clinics.

They will ensure the prevention of bedsores, monitor blood pressure and blood glucose.

They will also carry physical samples for diagnostic tests, making life easy for many families that find it difficult to move their elderly members through a crowded, often gridlocked, city.

These trained women will make arrangements for home visits by doctors and physiotherapists.

Services like feeding, toileting, bathing, and dressing are also being offered.

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On the evening of September 2011, an earthquake took place in Panchagarh. At that time, a nurse named Arjina Khatoon set a rare example of discharging her noble duties at a private hospital in Panchagarh. The hospital source stated that, on the fateful Monday evening, a Caesarian operation was being performed at the city general hospital on a woman named Sultana Begum. The mother gave birth to a boy, but the umbilical cord was not even dissected and detached when the earthquake hit.

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In the evening of September 2011 an earthquake took place in Panchgarh. During that time a nurse named Arjina Khatoon set a rare example of discharging her noble duties at a private hospital in Panchagarh.
The hospital source, disclosing this rare incident, stated that on the fateful Monday evening a ceaserian operation was being performed at the city general hospital on a pregnant women named Sultana Begum. A male child was born to the lady through C-section. The umbilical cord was not even dissected and detached when the earthquake hit the town. When the surgeon Kamalakanta Barman, anaesthetist Arifur Rahman and others were running out of the operation theatre in a bid to save their lives even then the undaunted nurse stood alone in the O.T. with the new born child praying to Almighty to save the mother and the child.
Arjina Khatoon 28, said, “I stayed back in the OT, thinking that the lives of the mother and child could be at stake if I left them there. Besides the umbilical cord was not dissected yet. So I could not come out with the baby alone. I decided to stay back at the OT and face the eventuality at its worst. When all the instrument and apparatus were falling down from the operation table due to the tremour of earthquake, I was trebling fearfully and was praying to God for his mercy.”
Zahidul Islam, the director of the hospital describing the incident afterwards, said, “When we all including the surgeon and other doctors ran out of the hospital during the quake, this nurse Arjina stayed back at the OT to save the lives of the mother and the new born child. Such incident is very rare as during such disaster everyone want to save his own life.

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Nurses, like all professionals, must have current knowledge to ensure the best possible care for their patients and communities. Practicing professional nursing requires a commitment to lifelong learning. With the advances in healthcare and technology due to research, it is imperative that nurses participate in knowledge development for themselves and the profession. Nursing has the opportunity to improve the health and well being of their patients by participating in educational opportunities post degree and sharing best evidence for safe practice with others in their care community. The International Nursing Council (ICN) Code of Ethics (2000) stipulates that the practicing nurse “is active in developing a core of research-based professional knowledge” (p. 3)(ICN, 2000). The most effective way for nurses to meet this ethical standard is to participate in continuing education.

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The Good HEAL Trust and the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh on Tuesday jointly launched the clinic to generate health and diseases-related awareness among the people.

Virtual Knitwear, a leading garment manufacturer, financed the clinic while InGen Technology Ltd, solar panel manufacturing firm and a strong player in the solar PV power industry in Bangladesh, provided the clinic with a solar panel.

The initiators hope 300,000 dwellers of the slum would receive comprehensive healthcare service, health education and awareness for prevention of diseases under the initiative.

At the inauguration, Good HEAL Trust Chairman Asif Mahmood said, “We cannot ignore the fact that we are dependent on the people who live in this slum.”

“We have to ensure that they also have access to healthcare services and can think of a better life beyond this slum,” said Mahmood, also Chairman of InGen and internet service provider ADN Telecom.

Virtual Knitwear Chairman Rezaul Haque said he was happy he could make a contribution to the project and hoped other garment factory owners in the vicinity would come forward to help the clinic for its smooth running.

“I have a garment factory near Gulshan-2 circle. Many of my workers live in Korail slum. They will also receive healthcare services here,” he said.

Dr Mobin Talukdar, Director of the Gulshan Health Service Clinic of the Bangladesh Institute of Health Science, an associate body of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh, explained at length how the health services would be offered to the slum dwellers.

Diabetic Association of Bangladesh President Prof AK Azad Khan advised all to emphasise on the preventive healthcare to bring down healthcare cost.

He said the pilot programme aimed to make the clinic self-sustaining within two years.

It also aims to provide low cost services through innovative micro-health insurance, so that this model can be replicated in other parts of Bangladesh where people are deprived of basic healthcare services.

Former Health Secretary Muhammad Ali said the initiative would help inform the disadvantaged a lot about the healthcare and health education for prevention of diseases.

Good HEAL Trust Executive Director Tanvir Raquib thanked everyone involved with the programme for setting up the clinic.

He called for more assistance from the corporate houses of Gulshan, Banani and Mohakhali towards the initiatives taken for Korail slum dwellers.

Home Healthcare Service

The Diabetic Association of Bangladesh has launched ‘Home Healthcare Service’ programme in collaboration with the Good HEAL Trust.

Under the programme, trained health workers will take healthcare to the doorsteps of the ailing and the elders and assist them with their prescribed treatment.

The organisers said this initiative would cover the capital’s Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara in the first phase.

Diabetic Association President Azad Khan said they were starting the programme with eight health workers under the supervision of doctors from the Bangladesh Institute of Health Science’s Gulshan Health Clinic.

The organisers said the Home Healthcare Service providers would also check blood pressure, measure temperature, administer saline and insulin, collect laboratory specimen, call doctors and arrange ambulance to a hospital.

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Dhaka, Apr 10: Good HEAL Trust and Diabetic Association of Bangladesh jointly launched an Outreach Program for the People of Korail slum. Under the initiative 3 lac people of Korail slum will receive comprehensive healthcare service, health education, and health awareness for disease prevention. The construction cost of the clinic was sponsored by Virtual Knitwear, a leading garments manufacturer of Bangladesh. A solar panel for the clinic was donated by a local solar panel manufacturer called INGEN, said a press release.

During the inaugural ceremony Mr Rezaul Haque, Chairman of Virtual Knitwear said he has a garments factory in Gulshan 2 circle. Many of his workers live at Korail slum. He is happy that he could make a contribution for establishing the clinic. Mr Asif Mahmood, Chairman of ADN Telecom and INGEN, said we cannot ignore the fact that we are dependent on the people who live at this slum. Dr Mobin Talukdar, Director of Gulshan Health Service Clinic of Bangladesh Institute of Health Science, an organization of Diabetic Association of Bangladesh, explained to the audience how the health services will be offered to the people of the slum.
Prof A K Azad Khan, President of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh asked everyone to give emphasis on the preventive healthcare so that healthcare cost can be brought down. He said the ultimate goal of the pilot program is to make it self-sustaining within two years but keeping it low cost and affordable through innovative Micro Health Insurance Muhammad Ali, Former Secretary Ministry of Health and Family Welfare lauded this noble initiative

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