UNWA February General Meeting

About 30 UNWA members and their guests gathered at ICDDR,B, the Centre for Health and Population Research commonly known in Dhaka as the Cholera Hospital, for a tour of the internationally renowned facility and the February General Meeting.

At the entrance to the hospital there is a poster board created by children stating: “Thank you for saving the lives of our brothers and sisters around the world.” In fact, with the support UNICEF, WHO and other organisations, ICDDR,B has been responsible for saving 40 million children globally through Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) alone for severe cases of diarrhoea.

ICDDR,B, first established in 1962 as the SEATO Cholera Laboratory, has been a lifeline for the poor of Bangladesh, particularly children who are victims of diarrhoeal disease and the complications of malnutrition. UNWA members had the privilege of being shown around the wards by Dr. M.A. Salam, the Chief Physician of the Hospital, where on any day about 200 patients are treated.

He told us that a major focus of their work, in addition to treatment, was on preventative care such as breast-feeding, counseling and health education. Educating the mothers of the infants and young children suffering from diarrhoea and related illnesses requires dispelling traditional attitudes and notions on child health and child rearing imparted by well meaning family members such as mothers-in-law.

Most wards had mothers, in their colourful cotton sari, helping to care for their own infants. Some mothers were clustered in self support groups while worried individual mothers held their own suffering child, hoping patiently for improvement.

One of the most significant contributions of ICDDR,B is in the laboratories. The tour continued with the director, Dr. Balakrish Nair, who explained the work of the Laboratory Sciences Division. The servicing aspect tests for viral, bacterial and parasitic infection, while the major strength of the laboratory is research. One example of the present work is combating shigella outbreaks where an epidemic is anticipated within this decade. The projects in the research laboratories are funded through research grants while the hospital itself is reliant on locally raised funds.

After touring the facility, refreshments were served on the roof terrace of the hospital. Hannah Lemon, UNWA member and Senior Associate of the External Relations Office at ICDDR,B introduced Dr. David Sack who has been Director of the Institute since 1999. Dr. Sack started work at the hospital in 1977 just as UNDP played a vital role in internationalisation of research through government and donor sponsorship, creating the now famous research centre.

Diarrhoea had been the primary killer of young children until the advent of a solution known as the Oral Rehydration Solution. Dr. Sack worked closely with Johns Hopkins University Hospital in conducting research and trials. Dr. Sack explained that the main research was being done here in Bangladesh because, “this is where the problem is and so it is very hands on.” By providing basic clinical care, sophisticated laboratory science and maintaining health surveillance on large rural and urban populations in Bangladesh, the Institute was successfully combating poverty and disease.

Vanessa Brooks, President of UNWA, thanked Dr. Sack and congratulated the organization on celebrating its 25th anniversary. She presented Dr. Sack with a cheque on behalf of UNWA towards the work of the Centre.

The meeting concluded with the introduction of the officers of UNWA who will be standing for election at the Annual General Meeting to be held on March 24 at 6.00 p.m. at the home of Liti Lissner.