A high-level delegation from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare concluded a week-long knowledge-sharing visit to Japan on Saturday, held from 26 September to 3 October, focused on non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and management.
The delegation was led by State Minister M A Muhit and included Health Services Division Additional Secretary Shah Imam Ali Reza; Directorate General of Health Services Director General Pravath Chandra Biswas; National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease Director Abdul Wadud Chowdhury; Narsingdi Sadar Hospital Civil Surgeon Md Bulbul Kabir; and State Minister’s Personal Secretary Md Sarwar Salam, said a press release on Sunday.
The visit was undertaken as part of the Feasibility Survey for the Integrated Non-Communicable Disease Prevention and Management Project. It covered meetings, technical sessions and institutional visits on NCD prevention, healthcare service delivery, health financing and medical technologies.
At Japan International Cooperation Agency headquarters, the delegation received a briefing on Japan’s health service delivery and health financing systems. It visited Terumo Medical Pranex, Fujifilm, Teikyo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokushukai Hospital, a private clinic and Riverfield Robotic surgery.
The programme included a courtesy call at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, discussions with Nippon Koei and KRC, and the Bangladesh Health Business Seminar co-hosted with the Japan External Trade Organization and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Japan.
Reflecting on visits to primary, secondary and tertiary hospitals, the State Minister said each level has a clear role and patients receive care through a referral chain. He said: “Technologies can be purchased but a culture of quality and care has to be built, that is perhaps the most important lesson I will take home.”
