ZCZC
BSS – 54
ROUNDTABLE-NCD
All ministries should work to check NCDs: Experts
DHAKA, April 17, 2019 (BSS) – Health experts at a roundtable emphasized that all ministries have to work to combat Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
All ministries should have a clear policy about NCDs and the proactive steps they can take to respond to the challenges while advancing their sectoral objectives, they said.
The education ministry, for instance, have a plan to create awareness among school level students to lead a healthy life education institutions should have proper space for sports activities. Similarly, the environment ministry should control pollution, they said.
A Bengali-language daily newspaper Bhorer Kagoj organised the programme at the VIP Lounge of the Jatiya Press Club where State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Murad Hasan was chief guest.
The daily’s editor, Shyamal Dutta moderated the programme while Secretary of the ministry Asadul Islam, line director of Non-Communicable Disease Control Dr Nur Mohammad also spoke, among others.
Professor AHM Enayet Hussain presented the key note paper where he said tobacco, physical inactivity, alcohol, air pollution and unhealthy diet were the main reasons of NCDs.
Most premature NCD deaths were preventable by taking cost-effective action to tackle the five main behavioural risk factors, the experts said.
“Four key physiological changes increase the risk of NCDs — high blood pressure (hypertension) levels, overweight, high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) and high levels of fat in blood”, Dr Aliya Naheed, Head, Initiative for Non Communicable Diseases told BSS.
Not only do non-communicable diseases cause human suffering, they hinder economic and social development, undermine GDP growth, weigh heavily on health care costs and contribute to poverty.
Overall, all the speakers emphasized on creation of awareness among people about creation of a healthy lifestyle.
BSS/ASG/DH/ AS/ 2030 HRS