The New Nation - Internet Edition

'Diabetes patience to be double by 2030 globally'

BSS, Dhaka

More than 180 million people are now suffering from diabetes all over the world which is likely to be double by 2030.

Country's leading heath experts disclosed this in a round table held here on Monday adding that almost 80 percent of diabetes deaths occur in low and middle income countries.

The roundtable titled 'Primary prevention of diabetes: lets start from childhood' was held at the National Press Club in the city to mark the World Diabetes Day- 2008.

Acting Director General of Directorate General of Health Service Prof Dr Hosne Ara Tahmin addressed the roundtable as the chief guest while Dr M Mostafa Zaman of the WHO presided over it.

President of Bangladesh Pediatric Association (BPA) Prof M Abdul Hannan and Prof Kisware Azad addressed the roundtable as specials guests.

The function was also addressed, among others, by Head of Medicine Department of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital Prof Mohammad Abul Kashem Khandaker, Chairman of DAB Primary Prevention of Diabetes Mellitus Project Dr Tofayial Ahmed, Dr MA Sabur, Prof AKM Rafiquddin Ahmed, Prof Dr Shamim Ahmed, Prof MA Azhar.

Eminence, a non-government development organization, in association with World Health Organization (WHO) jointly organized the roundtable.

Assistant Director of the Eminence Dr Sultana Monira presented the keynote paper.

Prof Hosne Ara in her speech urged all to work together for prevention of diabetes with a view to keeping the people of the country healthy.

The diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases to affect children, Prof M Abdul Hannan said adding that they should be given opportunity for playing on open fields and discouraged to eat fast food.

Prof Kisware Azad said the number of the diabetes-affected children is increasing alarmingly. So, parents should be aware of the disease.

Dr Mostafa Zaman said a concerted programme should be taken to prevent diabetes in the country.

Dr Shamim Talukder said the prevalence rate of the disease is also significantly high in the slums in the urban areas of the country where 13 percent males and nine percent females are suffering from the disease.

Other speakers stressed the need for changing life-style for prevention of the diabetes. They said everybody should change food habit avoiding fast food and enhance physical exercise.

Call to stop admission tests for children

BSS, Dhaka

A national conference on early child development (ECD) On Tuesday ended with a call to stop school admission tests for minor children, who become psychologically vulnerable due to huge pressures for admissions in private kinder gartens and public institutes.

The two-day conference began at Shishu Academy also observed that the tests for school admissions was a clear violation of international child rights charters and a major barrier for sound growth of children.

Bangladesh ECD Network, a forum of more than 200 organizations working for child development, organised the conference, where fathers were blamed to be less careful to their kids at early stage.

"Adolescence is being snatched away from children's lives through unacceptable level of academic pressures," said a press release of ECD network, urging government to introduce lottery system for admissions in schools.

Chairman of ECD Network Dr Manzoor Ahmed said that mushrooming trend of kinder gartens in cities, towns and villages have not only been jeopardizing physical growths of children but also damaging their future potentials due to wrong education.

Admission starts in senior course of language institute

BSS, Dhaka

The Dhaka University (DU) has invited applications for one-year senior course in Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Farsi, Russian, Spanish, Turkey and Korean languages under 2008-09 academic year.

The qualification of the admission seekers should be passed in junior course of the respective language, a press release of the Modern Language Institute of DU said on Tuesday.

The admission started from Tuesday and continue till November 30.

Shahadat Hossain made envoy to Qatar

BSS, Dhaka

The government has decided to appoint Md Shahadat Hossain, currently serving as the high commissioner of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka, as the ambassador to Qatar.

Shahadat, a carrier diplomat, joined the foreign service on January 21, 1986. He is an MA in English, said a press release.

He holds many important posts in the ministry of foreign affairs and the missions of Bangladesh abroad.

Shahadat is well conversant in English, Hindi, Urdu, French and Arabic. He is married and blessed with two sons.

UK assists Bangladesh on prison management

BSS, Dhaka

British prison experts from the London-based International Centre for Prison Studies on Tuesday shared their expertise with Bangladesh jail officials on prison management under a British High Commission sponsored training programme.

British prison experts Robert Allen and Andrew Barclay, held a day-long training programme with Bangladeshi prison officers on the development of prison management techniques and procedures, the British high commission said in astatement.

It said the training was just one element of their 7-day visit programme that include a series of discussions with prison officers, representatives of civil society, law students, lawyers and senior members of the judiciary.

The statement said the programme was aimed at exploring possible solutions to problems that affect prisons world wide, such as alternatives to prison sentencing, prison management, and overcrowding.

"Improving criminal justice systems in Bangladesh, including through police reform and alternative dispute resolution, is a priority for the UK because better access to justice is important both to development and the protection of human rights," British High Commissioner in Dhaka Stephen Evans said at the opening of the discussion.

"It is an opportunity for Bangladesh to discuss its needs in this area and whether the UK, and others, can potentially provide further assistance in future," he added.

Gazi, Aziz elected BFUJ President, secy-gen

BSS, Dhaka

The election and biennial general meeting of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) was held at National Press Club on Sunday.

Chief reporter of Dainik Sangram Ruhul Amin Gazi and news editor of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) M A Aziz were elected president and secretary general of BFUJ.

Other office-bearers of the federation are: vice-presidents Shamsuddin Harun, Abbas Uddin Afsari and Rezaul Karim Raju, assistant secretaries general - Nurul Amin Rokon, Sa'ad bin Rabi and Mostafa Nayem, treasurer - Modabber Hossain, office secretary - Aminul Haq, organising secretary - Obaidur Rahman Shahin and publicity secretary - Nasir al Mamun.

Seven members of the executive committee are: Abu Yousuf, Azmul Lutfa Khanam, Ahmed Karim, Mohammad Iskandar Ali Chowdhury, Kamar Farid, F Shahjahan and Anwarul Kabir Nantu.