The third International Medical Exposition 2005 kicked off in Dhaka yesterday with a call for improving the quality of healthcare services and extending them to rural areas.
"The healthcare services still remain out of the reach of the mid- and low-income people as the modern facilities are available only in such major cities as Dhaka and Chittagong," said Commerce Minister Altaf Hossain Choudhury while speaking as chief guest at the inauguration of the three-day fair styled 'Medexpo-2005'.
A total of 43 companies, including some of the world-famous hospitals from Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, US, UK, Sweden, China and Germany, are showcasing their products and services at 57 booths in the exposition.
Triune Exhibition and Event Management Services (TEEMS) organised the show at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel in cooperation with Bangladesh Private Clinic Diagnostic Owners' Association (BPCDOA).
Altaf said many patients are going abroad for treatment as Bangladesh is still lagging behind in different specialised areas, regretting that the quality of medical and diagnostic services is still not at par with international standard.
In Bangladesh, knowledge about the type, quality and availability of medical services is scanty, he mentioned. "Many of us don't know what the services we have in the country and where to find these."
Every month new hospitals and health and diagnostic centers are being set up and more state-of-the-art medical and diagnostic equipment are introduced in the country, Altaf mentioned.
However, this growth is led by the private sector with concentration on urban areas, the commerce minister added, noting such expositions as Medexpo can play an important role in disseminating information among the people.
Kazi Wahidul Alam, chairman of TEEMS, Dr Moniruzzaman Bhuiyan, president of BPCDOA, and Waliur Rahman Bhuiyan, managing director of Bangladesh Oxygen Co (BOC) Ltd, also spoke at the inauguration.
The exhibition will remain open for visitors from 12 noon to 8pm and there will be no entry fee. Specialist doctors from home and abroad are available during the exhibition to provide free consultations for critical patients.
Two seminars titled 'Treatments of Cancer' and 'Updates in Oncology' will be held on the sidelines of the show. Manufacturers of various medical instruments are offering attractive discounts for all purchases at the fair.
BOC is the sponsor while The Daily Star and Channel I are the media partners of the exposition.
|
Source : |
|
| |
|
