Speakers at a workshop have said that the health system in Bangladesh is not poor-friendly. The urban poor in the country are victims of widening health inequalities because of inadequate health facilities and inaccessible service delivery system in urban areas.
They also said that the urban poor population is growing rapidly and the health service delivery system is failing to address their health problems. Alongside the rapid urbanization in the country, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases is also increasing.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Rumana Huque, executive director of ARK Foundation and a professor at Department of Economics of Dhaka University; said that while the rural areas have different institutions like community clinic and upazila health complex for health service, the urban areas don’t have such well organized health system for poor and marginalized population. So, urban health issues should get more priority, she added.
She also said that research-based knowledge is a crucial component in policy design and decision making. The knowledge gained from research enables us to think of need-based actions. It increases awareness among general people and as a result, this public demand finally leads decision-makers to implement the appropriate policies. Therefore, the findings of public health research should be made available to the general people, she added. ARK Foundation, a public health research institution, organised the workshop titled “Role of Mass Media in Dissemination of Public Health Research Findings” on Tuesday in ARK Foundation Office at Gulshan-2 in the capital with the health journalists of Bangladesh.
Fariha Islam Munia, Research and Communication Officer of ARK foundation; presented the keynote speech at the workshop. Representatives from different media outlets of the country took part in the workshop.
The participants of the workshop said that the mass media is a very effective channel to reach common people as well as the policy makers. The media can play a vital role in disseminating health related research results to common people in simple, plain, intelligible language.
They highlighted the fact that the media played an important role in creating mass awareness regarding COVID-19, vaccination programme, immunization programmes, TB control, family planning etc.
The speakers expressed their opinions that other pressing urban health issues can be addressed and minimized by raising awareness through media. The government also acknowledges the media’s concern and value mass media in decision making. So, the media should step ahead and become more involved in this regard.
In the discussion, an interactive session was held where the guests discussed the role of media regarding health research in Bangladesh, current situation, achievements, prospects, challenges, limitations and probable solutions.
In the session, the journalists stated that now a days, people are more conscious about health issues and interested to know about various aspects of public health. So, the health researchers and media together can play an important role in increasing public awareness.
A strong network and connection should be developed and maintained between the academics and health journalists, so that the result of various public health research can be featured and presented on a regular basis. In the workshop they highlighted various effective ways of enhancing communication with the researchers, academics, policy makers and common people.
