Supporting Public Health

Immunization program at Bluebell School

A recent New York Times story about eradication of polio touches on BHP activities in two ways. First, in collaboration with local Rotary groups, BHP volunteers supporting the IUBAT College of Nursing have participated in community immunization campaigns near the university.  These events focus on immunization of children from “ultra-poor” families in nearby slums who do not attend school. In the rural village where Oasis for Posterity operates, immunization campaigns supported by Rotary and BHP provide vaccination for students attending Bluebell School as well as other local children.

MPH students IUBAT spring 2024

The second way that we are supporting disease control in Bangladesh is through the Master of Public Health program that we have helped to develop at IUBAT. While polio is no longer circulating in Bangladesh, the students are learning how to organize community campaigns for other infectious diseases. They must understand the many processes involved such as acquiring, storing and transporting vaccine products; engaging community volunteers and participating sites; communicating with parents and local leaders. A third batch of students, mostly nurses and doctors, will enroll in the MPH program this summer. BHP volunteers will continue developing the program and teaching courses as visiting faculty.

Support for Sajida Hospital quality improvement

Sajida head office and hospital QA staff with John Richards and Alex Berland. Deputy hospital head Dr. Mahmuda Akhtar second from right.

Recently BHP Directors Alex Berland and John Richards made a site visit to the Keraniganj Hospital operated by Sajida Foundation in a poor neighbourhood of Dhaka. This is a private hospital, so patients pay for care but Sajida fulfills its humanitarian mission with a poor fund that subsidizes costs for the needy but destitute. Our site visit was the latest in a long-standing collaboration between BHP and Sajida to improve health services in Bangladesh, including hospital, home and community, and most recently, mental health care. Previous activities at the hospital have included nurse training, staff hand-washing practices and patient identification. This time the focus was the quality improvement program overall. Initially, hospital staff identified their priorities, followed by Sajida’s Quality Assurance Department sharing detailed findings from their monthly patient satisfaction surveys. All participants then discussed how to use data to strengthen priority programs such as dialysis and reproductive care. A detailed report with recommendations was the final follow-up step. It is always a pleasure to visit this hospital because the leadership is so positive and obviously respected by the care staff.

Dr. Tariqul Islam Head of Sajida Hospital with Alex Berland

New Scholarship for Nursing Students

Recently, IUBAT BSN grad, Roshani Kandel RN DNP donated funds to create a scholarship for undergraduate nursing students in honour of Dr. Karen Lund, the Canadian volunteer who served over a decade as inaugural College of Nursing Director. Roshani wrote, “Since completing my DNP, I am living my dream nursing career as a preventative primary care provider for the neediest population in Iowa. It’s all because of the quality of the BSN program. Karen, I’m trying my best in each step with your guidance and blessings. We would be grateful if you would let us honor you with this scholarship fund. It would give a great vibe and inspiration for IUBAT nursing students in the future.” In the photo, BHP Directors Alex Berland and John Richards present Roshani’s donation to IUBAT Vice Chancellor, Dr. Abdur Rab and Treasurer, Prof. Selina Nargis. Please contact us if you would like to contribute to a nursing scholarship at IUBAT.