Reflections on the State of Bangladeshi Health Care

In this New York Times article, the author quotes WHO (2010) in noting that 50,000 Bangladeshis travel to India for treatment each year.  This phenomenon of travelling to neighbouring countries to recieve healthcare is evident, as billboards that advertise hospitals in Singapore and Hong Kong are numerous in Bangladesh.  Bangladesh nationals justify the expense and trouble of travelling for care because of their mistrust of local hospitals.

Although there are many dedicated individuals working in difficult conditions, nurses are also mistrusted.  As a result of their low status and weak education, nurses’ scope of practice is very limited in Bangladesh – another reason patients get better care elsewhere.

However, there is positive change in the country.  Public health initiatives, many focused on marginalized populations like women, have been very successful in improving health outcomes in Bangladesh, and community-based forms of health care have increased access for much of the population.

IUBAT is also contributing towards better health care through the education of new nurses; IUBAT Nursing students practice in several private hospitals, not-for-profit and for-profit.  They also attend one government hospital, the National Institute for Mental Health.  Through a variety of health settings, the students are exposed to hospitals that have reasonable standards of care.  In post-practice seminars, the students have the chance to discuss any gaps in care that they have observed, and these points serve as learning opportunities and impetus for improvement.  Furthermore, visiting faculty volunteers offer training sessions for the nurses working in our teaching hospital sites.  Slowly, we see that care is improving; our mission is to speed that process for a wider population.

For the full New York Times commentary, please click here.

Furthering Nursing Education with Open Resources

After a decade working in Bangladesh, we have learned that the global shortage of nurses is made worse by an even greater shortage of capable nurse educators.  Therefore, we have just launched the website to access our Open Educational Resources [OER].  This new website will offer our BSN curriculum to support novice nurse educators in less developed countries.

We will post all of our English-medium resources: PowerPoint lectures, student and teacher references, exams and assignments, clinical checklists and policies. Under the Creative Commons license, the OER materials can be adapted and used freely by educational institutions offering nursing degrees, and by association, councils and other groups that provide continuing professional development for nurse educators. We have posted two sample courses and a Teachers’ Guide for beginning educators when using the OER at or4ned.com.

Future phases of the work will include enhancing the OER with multimedia resources, evaluating use of the OER in various settings, and developing a community of practice to update the OER.

We are writing to you now for two reasons:

1. The OER materials need editing and cataloguing. We would like your advice about potential partners or funders for this task.

2. Would you be willing to volunteer your time to review and improve the Teachers’ Guide?

The website provides more information, or you can contact us at info@or4ned.com.  We welcome your suggestions and advice.

New Publication from BHP Director

John Richards of Simon Fraser University is a founding director of the Bangladesh Health Project with strong ties to Bangladesh. He is also a Professor at Simon Fraser University’s School of Public Policy, and a Fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute. In a recent report for the Institute, John argues that Canada’s foreign aid could be more effective if there were strategies in place that addressed the problem of weak host-country governance. In “Diplomacy, Trade and Aid: Searching for Synergies”, John proposes a mix of corporate social responsibility for Canadian firms engaged in low-income countries, diplomatic involvement in aid projects, and aid projects designed to address problems of “weak” host-country governance.