Good Dispensing Practice (GDP) is now becomes a possible behaviour: pharmacists have been trained through the Better Health in Bangladesh Project

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is a non-profit organization that is working globally towards building resilient and sustainable health systems thereby improving the health and lives of the most vulnerable. To address the existing anomalies among the pharmacists, MSH shook hands with BCCP to undertake a series of training for the A and C grade pharmacists in 11 districts of Bangladesh named Dhaka, Narsingdi, Bagerhat, Jhalokathi, Moulvi Bazar, Chandpur, Natore, Mymensingh, Khulna, Chattogram and Rangpur.

Ideally pharmacists dispense medications upon reviewing prescriptions from authorized physicians. In Bangladesh however, many pharmacists have independent retail establishments and providing over-the-counter medicine coupled with some form of consultancy is common. Also lack of proper training results in improper handling of patients, stock-outs and wastage of medicines and commodities.

Under MSH’s Better Health in Bangladesh project, BCCP is carrying out orientation on establishment and operations of model pharmacy in Bangladesh for A grade pharmacists and training on establishment and operations of model medicine shop in Bangladesh for C grade pharmacists. A total of 5371 pharmacists attended in 132 batches trainings during July 21, 2019-January 02,2020.

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP) entered into an agreement for a period from May 12, 2019-January15, 2020. A total of 5371 pharmacists attended in 132 batches (including both A & C grade) trainings during July21, 2019-January 02,2020.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide training management of both events in relation to orientation on establishment and operations of model pharmacy in Bangladesh for A grade pharmacists and training on establishment and operations of model medicine shop in Bangladesh for C grade pharmacists under the Better Health in Bangladesh project.

Conduct Orientation for A-grade pharmacist:

BCCP successfully organized and managed 5-day orientation on establishment and operations of model pharmacy in Bangladesh in 8 batches from July 21, 2019-January 02, 2020 at Pharmacy Council of Bangladesh (PCB) conference room. A total of 312 A-grade pharmacists attended in the training in 8 batches which 114 were female. Mr. M Mosaddek Hossen, Vice president, PCB Mr. Muhammad Mahbubul Haque, Secretary, PCB and Dr. Md. Iftakhar Hassan Khan, Acting Project Director & Senior Technical Advisor MSH were present in the inaugural sessions on several occasions. They delivered their welcome speeches. Mr. Mohammad Shahjahan, Director and CEO, BCCP was present in the inaugural session of the first batch of the orientation. He expressed that every person has their potential to play an important role in improving people’s lives.

He also mentioned that the combination of knowledge and experience is very powerful in communication. Everyone can improve on communication and listening skills especially counselling and dispensing process.

The closing session of all batches were held at DGDA conference room at Mohakhali. Major General Md Mahbubur Rahman, Director General, DGDA was present in the all closing sessions. He delivered his closing speech and awarded certificate among the participants.

Conduct Training for C-grade Pharmacist:

BCCP organized and conducted training on establishment and operations of model medicine shop in Bangladesh at different venues of 11 districts in our country during August 24-December12, 2019 which were Dhaka, Narsingdi, Bagerhat, Jhalokathi, Moulvi Bazar, Chandpur, Natore, Mymensingh, Khulna, Chattogram and Rangpur. Two members team comprising of local coordinator and local associate were organized and managed the training event for the C grade pharmacists. A total of 5059 participants attended in the training in 124 batches, which 170 were female at 11 districts. In each session on average 41 pharmacists attended.

Considering the overall undertaking, it has been observed that the participants were very active and eager to acquire knowledge, skills and develop attitudes. Having this training the C-grade pharmacists are expected to follow the DGDA rules including dispensing of the medicine as well as go forward to establish model medicine shop and ensure Good Dispensing Practice (GDP), which will ultimately benefit the community. 

SBCC is a very challenging job as it requires changes of mindset and behavior of the communicator

The two-week long Advances in Strategic Communication Course have been formally inaugurated in Dhaka today on February 23, 2020 in the Multipurpose hall of the Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP). A total of 21 professionals drawing from many disciplines/levels, including project leads, senior and mid-level officials, and development professionals from the GoB and NGO fields are participating in this course.

This workshop will explore the essential elements of successful communication in the context of social development programs and in making a positive change in the communication behavior of professionals concerned with planning, implementation, management and supervision of SBCC activities. The participants will also design communication programs following a systematic process with the support of “SCOPE” – a computer-based planning tool.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Mr. Kazi A K M Muhiul Alam, Director General, Family Planning as Chief Guest while the Mr. Mohammad Shahjahan, Director and CEO, BCCP and Dr. Zeenat Sultana, Program Director, BCCP were also present. Dr. Zeenat Sultana announced that this annual course is being marked with celebration of silver jubilee as current course is being organized for 25th time which have so far been participated by 500 professionals of Bangladesh. Mr. Mohammad Shahjahan expressed his happiness for continuing this course since 1994 which is modeled after the “Leadership in Strategic Health Communication” workshop held annually in Baltimore, USA organized by The Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP), Baltimore, USA.

In his speech as Chief Guest of the inauguration ceremony, the Director General-Family Planning underscored the SBCC as a very challenging job which requires changes of mindset and behavior of the communicator. He termed SBCC as an evolving science requires deep thought and going deep in to the communication issues to strategically plan and readiness to be able to implement dynamic communication programs. He expected this workshop will bring various elements of strategic communication to discuss, share and practice during 12 days of the workshop and will also bring up lessons that how cluttering of messages could have avoided by focused message for desired behavior change. He emphasized lessons of SBCC as building reciprocal trust and relationship and as an end message he quoted a great philosopher of middle age Mr. Friedrich Nietzsche as “I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”

This two-week workshop, led by a distinguished faculty of communication, policy and development experts to help workshop participants transform various communication approaches into the work field. BCCP expects this course will help participants and adding value to their learning expectations in integrating knowledge, sharpen intellectual thinking and enhance applied learning for planning designing and implementation of SBCC interventions.

Coordination brings synergistic impact and HPN OPs can attain better program impact with inter OP coordination

On occasion of the day-long workshop on HPN OP Coordination related to SBCC interventions Begum Rina Parveen, Additional Secretary, HSD, MoHFW emphasized the need of inter-unit and inter OP coordination for better and synergistic program impact. The Additional Secretary, HSD, MoHFW made this remark while attending this workshop as Chairperson. Mr. Nitish Chandra Sarker, Additional Secretary, FWD, MoHFW attended this workshop as Co-chairperson. The Line Directors of IEM, NNS and LHEP also attended this workshop in addition to their respective unit representatives. Mr. Golam Farooque, Deputy Secretary, PH-2, HSD of the MoHFW facilitated the workshop sessions.

This year’s OP Coordination Workshop focused on the unified School Health Curriculum (SHC) uniformly use by DGHS and DGFP units. Unit representative attended this workshop includes; CCSDP, IEM, MCH, FSD, MNC&AH, Planning and MIS from the DGFP. The units from DGHS were CDC, NNS, BHE, PHC, CBHC and MCRAH. In addition, representatives from three ministries of MoE, MoI, MoLGD and MoRA were also participated this workshop.

The workshop was initiated with two presentations to provide a background of the inter OP coordination along with the workshop objective and an overview on the mapping exercise of the existing SHC as has been developed and in field operation with its contents. This presentation reveals that several units under the DGFP and DGHS have their SHC and imparting through School Health Education (SHE) covering 64 districts. Most of the contents covering same issues while there are difference of information and messaging are being provided in these contents. This presentation highlighted the objective of the unified SHC and an integrated SHE schedule by upazila/schools for implementation to extend reach and maximize utilization of resources.

Specific objectives of this unification of curriculum and integration in program implementation were:

• A uniform and unified curriculum is necessary for covering all aspects of Health Population and Nutrition targeted to the school students
• Comprehensive/composite knowledge/information on HPN for the School children
• Uniform messaging on HPN issues for the school children
• Maximize geographical coverage of the school and avoid program duplication.

Following the findings of mapping exercise, the workshop had a group work on three different issues of the SHC and SHE unification and integration process as:

• Contents of the SHC to continue, exclude or add
• Activity, timeline and responsibility of unification process to get accomplished
• Integrated field implementation plan.

The group work process went through active involvement of the participants to work in 4 groups. Their recommendation on the above three group work modality presented in the plenary paved the way to the unification process accomplishment.

At the end the Co-chairperson Mr. Nitish Chandra Sarker, Additional Secretary, FWD, MoHFW proposed for a 15-member SHC unification sub-committee comprised of the representatives of different ministries and the HPN directorates having Mr. Nitish Chandra Sarker, Additional Secretary, FWD, MoHFW as the Chairperson. As concluding remarks Mr. Nitish Chandra Sarker, expressed his hopes that this initiative will profusely be contributing to maximize effort, resource and avoiding duplication.

BCC creates positive mindsets on public procurement system

Bangladesh Centre for Communication Programs (BCCP) has been working as the communication consulting firm for carrying out the Behavior Change Communication (BCC) program of the “Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement (DIMAPP) Project” for the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) under the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning from June 2018 to June 2022. The projectis financed by the World Bank to improve public procurement performance and enhance capacity for implementation monitoring of development programs and projects.

Under the DIMAPPP, BCCP has developed and is implementing a comprehensive Strategic Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) program since June, 2018. The objective of the SBCC is to strengthen and institutionalize systems and functions of strategic communication for stakeholder engagement within the public procurement practice. The BCC program has already started bringing changes to the mindset of government Procuring Entities (PE), Tenderers, Policy-makers and thus is contributing to ensuring sustainable public procurement management and monitoring in line with the objectives of DIMAPPP. BCCP is expected to influence the mindset of civil society, media, other stakeholders and general public also.

For DIMAPPP, BCCP is implementing the BCC strategy for supporting enhancement of the overall procurement environment in the country to promote Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) and efficient public spending system for better service delivery. The strategy has encompassed several approaches in an overarching manner as:

Advocacy and dialogue facilitation at district and regional levels which includes mobilization and institutionalization of Government-Tenderers’ Forum (GTF) and preparation and use of a set of advocacy materials, holding round table discussions etc.

Promotion and branding of e-GP under media campaign through e-GP workshops, TVC, publication, video, press and online media, social media, TV talk show, digital and traditional billboards, fact sheets, brochures, e-GP Flyer, success story video etc.

Media sensitization and capacity development through newspaper supplement, media guide, media orientation at district and division levels, media awards, news dissemination and media tracking.

Technical support and knowledge management through publication of quarterly news letter and yearly calendar with key information, support to citizen portal and citizen engagement initiatives, develop and maintain digital archive, provide coordination and technical assistance to the CPTU.

BGTF and Transparency in Public Procurement

As a unique advocacy and dialogue facilitation technique, BCCP has piloted, developed the model and established the Tenderers’ Forum (BGTF), first of its kind in the Bangladesh Government system.

The objectives of the BGTF is to create scopes for open dialogue and discussion between Tenderers and PEs that facilitates efficient and effective implementation of government procurement contracts. BCCP supported to establish such 64 forums in 64 districts across Bangladesh. To coordinate the countrywide platforms, an apex body namely BGTF has been formed. This body will act as a central platform of the 64 GTFs for maintaining better coordination and side by side facilitating the groups to discuss public procurement issues for proper execution of the procurement contracts. Formation of BGTF is a part of the ongoing activities for institutionalizing GTFs at district levels under the DIMAPPP.

At present, a convening committee of BGTF is working for finalizing a Memorandum of Association (MoA), preparing a work-plan, confirming a legal structure for sustainability and helping to form a regular committee and making its formal launching.

Our joint effort combatting the havoc of Covid-19 is the demand of time to address through SBCC interventions

A virtual meeting of 27^th HPN Coordination Committee was held on April 28, 2020 on the inter-unit coordination issues as per set agenda that also focused on unit’s effort on the Covid-19 related SBCC interventions. Chaired by Dr. Ashrafunnesa, Line Director-IEM, this meeting was also attended by Dr. S M Mustafizur Rahman, LD-NNS, Dr. Md. Abu Zaher, LD-LHEP, Dr. Md. Shamsul Hoque, Line Director, MNCAH and Mr. Abdul Aziz, Chief, BHE. Other attendees include; Program Managers and Deputy Program Managers represents NNS, MH, CCSDP, FP-FSD, MIS, CBHC, IEM and BHE.

The SBCC activities as brought for discussion in this meeting covers the January-March 2020 period while unit wise key activities include:

National Nutrition Service (NNS)

• Several BTV and Bangladesh Betar program focused on nutrition and MNCAH issues
• Conduct an NNS related message design workshop for the Bangladesh Betar officials
• Diet for boosting up body resistant uploaded in the Facebook focusing on Covid-19
• Vitamin-A campaign program designed and implemented.

Bureau of Health Education (BHE)

• Conduct multiple campaign activities on the eve of World Health Day in various channels
• Organize 5 days training on Environmental and Occupational Health awareness for Senior and Junior Health Education Officer
• Printing/distribution of 200,000 leaflets to support Covid-19 awareness raising campaign
• Organize 15 days long basic training for Health Education Officer & Health Educators.

Information Education and Motivation (IEM)

• Conducted eResource and IPC ToT along with field level training
• Media Fellowship Award for Journalist of print, electronic and social media
• Media campaign on covid-19, long acting FP method, call center, danger sign, ANC, PNC through airing of TVC for 1200 times in 8 private TV channels
• Development of materials and awareness campaign on covid-19 at field level.

Key decisions:

This meeting focused on Covid-19 related SBCC effort and activities that individual units has undertaken in combatting the havoc of this disease outbreak with future planning. Key decisions include;  

• IEM’s planned virtual training on eToolkit and eLearning course would have continued
• NNS will continue its TV and Radio campaign programs on nutrition aspects with body resistant necessary for protecting Covid-19
• Three TVC will be developed on the situation aroused with Covid-19 related stigma and discrimination, gender-based violence and mental health for its common use in all three HPN units. Ujjiban will provide TA support in developing the TVC script on these three issues.

In her concluding remarks the Chairperson and Line Director-IEM Dr. Ashrafunnesa emphasized on addressing the Covid-19 situation and told that our joint effort combatting the havoc of Covid-19 is the demand of time to address through SBCC interventions.

Bangladesh tobacco control initiative finds a further way out: Policy-implicated study findings disseminated

Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP) and Bangladesh Tobacco Control Research Network (BTCRN) in collaboration with the Institute for Global Tobacco Control based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH), Baltimore, USA organized a daylong Research Findings Dissemination Conference on Tobacco Control on February 10, 2020 at Lakeshore Hotel, Gulshan-2, Dhaka.  

The findings of the nine research projects were presented in the conference through three scientific sessions. Of them, five were undertaken by student researchers of different public and private universities while other four were conducted by experienced researchers in different academic institutions and organizations. Besides the studies under Tobacco Control Research Grant program, findings of 10 selected research studies conducted by other in-country researchers were presented through posters.

Prof. Dr. Abul Kalam Azad, Director General, Directorate General of Health Services of Health Services spoke at the opening program as the Chief Guest. Prof. Dr. Sanya Tahmina, Additional Director General (Planning and Development), Directorate General of Health Services, Dr Rajendra Bohara, Team Leader (IVD), World Health Organization, Bangladesh Country Office and Dr. Joanna Cohen, Director, Institute for Global Tobacco Control, Maryland, USA spoke as Guests of Honor. Dr. Zeenat Sultana, Program Director, BCCP delivered opening remarks, while National Professor Dr. Brig. (Rtd.) Abdul Malik, President, National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, and Advisor, Bangladesh Tobacco Control Research chaired the session.

Prof. Dr. Md. Iqbal Kabir, Director (Research and Planning), Directorate General of Health Services, Dr. Joanna Cohen, Director, Institute for Global Tobacco Control and Prof. Shah Monir Hossain, Senior Advisor, BTCRN spoke as Guests of Honor while Prof. Dr. Nawzia Yasmin, President, BTCRN chaired the closing program of the conference.

The major research projects presented in the conference included: 1) Shifting of Marketing Paradigm of Tobacco Industry in Bangladesh: Challenges to the Tobacco Control Policy, 2) Enforcement of Tobacco Control Law Regarding Smoke-Free Public Place and Public Transport: A case of Bangladesh Railways Jurisdiction, 3) Ban on Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship in Bangladesh: Investigating Compliance Level and Implementation Challenges, 4) Smoke-free Housing Policy for Multi-Unit Housing Complexes: Evidence from Divisional Cities of Bangladesh, 5) Tobacco Industry Branding Strategies and Its Influence on Young Adults, and 6) Tobacco Related Content on New Media and its Exposure among University Students in Bangladesh.

More than 300 participants including the representatives of relevant Government departments, young researchers of different Public Health Universities/institutions, media agencies and in-country Bloomberg Initiative partners and grantees attended the conference.

Helping the Little Hands to Make a Better Future

BCCP, forevermore expanding its area of expertise, has newly entered into the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Child Labor Improvements in Bangladesh (CLIMB) project through WINROCK International. As media partner, BCCP is to contribute to the project objective by improving the capacity of civil society for transmitting information on child labor and forced child labor in southeast Bangladesh’s dried fish sector, promote acceptable work conditions for children, and involve policy planners, local government institutions, the civil society organizations and journalists by making them aware and responsive to the strategic development of the children.

Recently BCCP is awarded as Media Partner for CLIMB project by WINROCK International, the signing ceremony was held on November 17, 2019. This BCCP-CLIMB/WI project is planned to continue up to December 2020.  

The specific Project Goal is to reduced child labor and increased acceptable conditions of work in the dried fish sector (DFS) in southeast Bangladesh. Improved capacity of civil society to understand and address child labor and forced child labor and promote acceptable conditions of work for children in the DFS in southeast Bangladesh is the project objective.

BCCP will contribute to achieve in three outcomes:

Outcome 1: Improved capacity of civil society to identify and document accurate, timely, and user-friendly information on the nature and scope of CL, FCL, and unacceptable conditions of work for children in DFS.

Outcome 2: Improved capacity of civil society to raise awareness and advocate for the protection of children from CL, FCL, and/or unacceptable conditions of work in DFS.

Outcome 3: Improved capacity of civil society to implement initiatives to address CL, FCL, and/or unacceptable conditions of work for children in DFS, including facilitated access to grievance mechanisms and remedy for victims of labor exploitation.

As the media partner, BCCP will transmit information/stories related to child labor (CL) and forced child labor (FCL) in the country’s dried fish sector (DFS) and promote acceptable work conditions for children. The problems in the dried fish sector are not properly addressed by the policy planners, local government institutions and the civil society organizations. BCCP will facilitate journalists to contribute to the dried fish sector to address the lack of information and to identify the issues and problems. Through this partnership, BCCP will facilitate/mentor the selected journalists and CSOs who will collect and disseminate information related to child labor issues, cover the news events, organize local level awareness and BCC campaign. Besides BCCP will organize stakeholders sharing sessions to influence policy planners and the local government institutions to make them aware and responsive to the strategic development of the children.

Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC) hold an idea generation meeting for planning of National Nutrition Week (NNW)-2020

With the pursuance and mobilization by the Ujjiban CSS team BNNC arranged and hold an idea generating pre-preparatory meeting for the observation of NNW-2020. This meeting was held on January 20, 2020 at 1:30 P.M. in the DGHS conference room. Presided over by the DG-BNNC, Begum Rina Parveen, the Additional Secretary, HSD, MoHFW attended this meeting as chief guest. The Director-Medical Education, Director-IPHN and Line Director-NNS also attended this meeting and made their suggestions.

Other participants attended the meeting includes representatives of DGHS units from NNS, IPHN, BNNC, MNCAH and BSMMU. Development Partners from WHO, FAO, Unicef and NI while NGOs includes; Care, Save the Children, Concern Worldwide, PHF and few nutrition consultants.

At the outset of the meeting the BNNC presented the program outline that followed and implemented in the last year’s NNW-2019 followed by the national level campaign plan presented and proposed by Ujjiban for NNW 2020. Broad outline of Ujjiban’s campaign plan had 3 key dimensions as:

• National level campaign plan: Involving mass people and community through mass media, community approaches and community media
• Community level campaign: Involving community people, stakeholders and school students
• Branding: Branding of the nutrition to position it as a mainstream health issue as well as a development issue and get it popularized as a societal norm and household issue.

In the open discussion the meeting had following issues raised and discussed:

• As part of multisectoral approach 22 focused ministries are to get involved with planning and implementation of NNW-2020
• Inter-unit coordination between the MoHFW units is necessary for better planning and implementation of NNW-2020
• Scientific seminar to hold for providing scientific nutritional information like; iron and iodine deficiencies to the program stakeholders
• NNW-2020 campaign plan should connect service providers with the service recipients
• Special audience group like; adolescent and elderly should be focused during the observation of NNW-2020
• Involvement of the district and upazila level nutrition committees with the local level campaign
• Focus on school teachers and school students as mainstream audience group for NNW-2020
• Several theme/slogans of the week were proposed in the meeting.

As concluding remarks the Additional Secretary, HSD, MoHFW termed this meeting as very useful and timely to bring-up the recommendations to the implementation/steering committee for final planning. She recommended to address marginalized group of people during observation of NNW-2020. She thanked Ujjiban for the Campaign Plan and related presentation but opined to add innovative ideas and create a ‘big buzz’ amongst the community during the week.

Editorial: COVID-19 and Human behavior

The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, was declared as pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11^th March 2020. Since then, the leading health care professionals, scientists, and policymakers throughout the world are racing against the clock to slow the spread of the disease.

A key feature of the response has focused on our behavior—including our handwashing habits and our ability to maintain social distance. There are also social and economic implications of many of our activities like banning travel, closing business & office, work from home and limited operation. 

Human behavior is central to transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 and therefore, changing behavior is crucial to preventing transmission in the absence of medical interventions. Isolation and social distancing measures, including edicts to stay at home, have been brought into place across the globe to reduce transmission of the virus, but at a huge cost to individuals and society. In addition to these measures, we urgently need effective interventions to increase adherence to behaviors that individuals in communities can enact to protect themselves and others: use of tissues to catch expelled droplets from coughs or sneezes, use of face masks as appropriate, hand-washing on all occasions when required, disinfecting objects and surfaces, physical distancing, and not touching one’s eyes, nose or mouth. There is an urgent need for direct evidence to inform development of such interventions, but it is possible to make a start by applying behavioral science methods and models.

Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) organizations and professionals have a critical role to play in this disease outbreak scenario. As a leading SBCC organization, Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP) is well positioned to undertake appropriate communication interventions and community messaging, such as; development of SBCC strategies, communication program on prevention and hygiene techniques, correction of misinformation, addressing to mental health, stigma reduction, combatting rumors, and more. Let’s work together to ensure optimal health behavior practiced by human act which is really crucial at this critical juncture.