Project News

SMPP organized a national workshop on “Towards Equitable Health Systems through Community Participation: Community Support System and Community Clinics” on 13th April 2009 at Bangladesh China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka. Mr. Shaikh Altaf Ali, Honorable Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, H.E Mr. Masayuki Inoue, Ambassador of Japan, Prof. Dr. Hosne Ara Tashmin, Additional Director General of Health Services, Mr. Md Abdul Qayyum, Director General of Family Planning , Ms. Nobuko Suzuki Kayashima, Chief Representative, JICA Bangladesh were present as guest at the inauguration.

SMPP recently developed an Operational Guideline of Community Support System (CmSS) for further replication of this community mobilization activity to other areas in Bangladesh. The Workshop, therefore, aimed to introducing the newly developed guideline as well as sharing the Project’ (SMPP and other GO/NGO) experience to discuss how community mobilization activity could contribute to improve local health status. More than 250 participants from MoHFW, NGOs, development partners, local government, and selected community members attended the workshop from Dhaka, Narsingdi and other Districts.

After the speech of the Guest of Honor, the concept of CmSS and the newly developed guideline were introduced to all participants. The experiences of community mobilization activities at Chowgacha UHC in Jossore District, Bramanpara Community Clinic in Comilla District, Lalmonirhat Community Clinic in Dinajpur District and SMPP in Narsingdi were shared in the plenary session with oral presentation by the representative of each program. In response to the presentations, the participants openly discussed on their own activities, present situation, and problems they are facing.

Open discussion was actively continued after lunch. Through the participatory discussion, the participants made various suggestions and recommendations concerning local resources mobilization, accountability, governance, and sustainability of community mobilization activity. Since several MoHFW officers attended the Workshop, it was an opportunity for community representatives to have direct dialogue with central level officers on their local situation in health services. The Workshop was closed by Prof. Dr. Shah Monir Hossain, Director General of Health Services with his remark. He concluded the Workshop by appreciating CmSS as an effective approach for community participation in health care and emphasized on working all stakeholders together for further improvement.

“Report of the Workshop on:
Towards Equitable Health System through Community Participation: Experiences of Community Support System and Community Clinics”  Download(PDF/2.6MB)