Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Samant Lal Sen said, Tuberculosis is a disease that is affecting not only our country but the world community at large. Tuberculosis that we know as TB has long been a formidable adversary in our fight for public health. The disease’s impact is far-reaching, with 10.6 million people infected with tuberculosis worldwide each year. We are committed to taking forward the commitments made by world leaders including our Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the UN High Level Meeting on TB in 2023 on TB prevention. Addressing the root causes is now more important than ever in eradicating tuberculosis.
The Health minister said this in his speech as the chief guest at the opening event of the two-day World Health Organization Global Forum on Advancing Multisectoral and Multistakeholder Engagement and Accountability to End Tuberculosis held on 23 June 2024 Sunday morning at Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka.
The Health Minister Dr. Samant Lal Sen further said, at the inauguration of this Global Forum, we are reiterating our commitment to the ambitious goal of eliminating tuberculosis by 2030. which is a goal included in the SDGs, WHO’s TB Elimination Strategy, and the Political Declaration of the UN High-Level Meeting on TB. By leveraging our knowledge, strategy and collective will together, we hope to make this goal a reality.
State Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Rokeya Sultana, Secretary of the Department of Health Services Jahangir Alam, Director of the World Health Organization T. Kasiva and Bangladesh representative of World Health Organization Dr. Vardhan Jung Rana , spoke at the event.