UK Minister The Right Honourable Alistair Burt MP lauds UK and icddr,b’s decades long life-saving partnership

Dhaka, August 30, 2018 - Today, a high-level delegation from the United Kingdom, led by the Minister of State (Department for International Development) Joint with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP joined by H. E. Alison Blake, the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Jim McAlpine, Head of DFID Bangladesh  visited icddr,b's Mohakhali campus in Dhaka.

The delegation toured  Dhaka Hospital, covering  the intensive care unit, short stay ward, breast feeding counselling room, immunisation room & nutrition rehabilitation unit, they commended the free-of-charge care to hundreds and thousands of people.

Dr Shams El Arifeen, Acting Executive Director and Senior Director, Maternal & Child Health  presented an overview of the UK and icddr,b’s decades long life-saving partnership. The delegation was also briefed on icddr,b’s recent life saving innovations such as low-cost Bubble CPAP, for the treatment of severe pneumonia and hypoxemia among children, a low-cost, high impact birthing-mat to help identify women at risk of dangerous post-partum haemorrhage.

Dr Firdausi Qadri, Emeritus Scientist, Infectious Disease Division and Dr Azharul Islam Khan, Head of Hospitals at icddr’b explained the humanitarian response in the Rohingya (Forcibly Displaced Myanmar nationals – FDMNs) camps since the Rohingya exodus began in Sep 2017.

During the visit Minister Burt lauds icddr,b’s work and said, “I am deeply impressed by what you are doing and also the way you are handling the emergency situations. It was great to see such innovations and capacity from the tour of the hospital and laboratory facilities. I really appreciate your work and I would like to thank you on behalf of both the Prime Minister and Secretary of State who want to continue to be associated with you and value this relationship very much.”

DFID has been supporting icddr,b’s life saving work since 1975 and helped revitalise its research operations which had been disrupted by the liberation war of 1971.

The visiting delegation also met with the organisation’s senior leadership and leading scientists. 

 

TIK