Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim on Tuesday said that Bangladesh would be recognized as filarial disease free country by 2021.
“The disease would be driven out from all districts of Bangladesh within this period,” he told the inaugural ceremony of a 3-day conference on “elimination of tropical diseases: keeping pledges” in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Health Ministers of World Health Organization – Regional Office for South-East Asia (WHO-SEARO) joined the conference.
Nasim, vice-president of the forum, said that Bangladesh has already achieved the national target for elimination of Leprosy disease and 98 percent success towards eradicating kala-azar.
Health Minister of Indonesia Nila Moeloek presided over the conference, which was opened by Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh of Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia Region.
“Health sector of Bangladesh under dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina got world recognition for its tremendous success,” the minister said.
Nasim said that the present government has reached basic healthcare services to the doorsteps of common people of the country through setting up 14,000 community clinics.
The government, he said, has ensured modern healthcare services to rural people. “We are also committed to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in health sector by 2030,” he added.
