Experts on health and rights activists have called upon the government to give importance to urban planning in order to control the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country.
For this reason, it is important to apply the existing laws and policies and take initiatives for making necessary amendments to laws and policies, they also suggested.
They said that planned urban planning can play a vital role in protecting public health. The workways for walking, providing safety and priority to pedestrians, lanes for bicycles, parks, open spaces and ensuring free movement for all must be included in urban planning.
Physical activity can be enhanced by making exercise compulsory in educational curriculum through ensuring teachers and materials for such physical works, they added.
The public health experts and the human rights activists were speaking at a discussion on ‘Local Government Bodies’ Role in Controlling NCDs through Ensuring Physical Activity and Providing Fresh Vegetables in City’.
Bangladesh University of Health Sciences (BUHS), Center for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA), IDLO and Citizen Network jointly organized the discussion at the Ibrahim Auditorium of BUHS in the capital on Monday.
Professor Anwar Hossain of BUHS presided over the discussion, while Prof Dr AFM Sarwar, former principal at Dhaka Dental College; and Syed Mahbubul Alam Tahin, secretary of CLPA, presented the keynote papers.
Professor Faridul Alam, Vice Chancellor of BUHS, was present as the chief guest, while Dr M Mostafa Zaman, research advisor of WHO; Dr AKM Shamim Alam, project director of Union Level Farmer Service Center Establishment and Technology Expansion Project of DAE; Prof Md Tajul Islam, country project manager at Health Project Office of JICA; Dr Md Shafiur Rahman, program coordinator of NIPSAM; Farida Akhter, executive director of Ubinig; Dr Mahmud Hossain Farooqui, head of Occupational and Environmental Health Dept of BUHS; Prof Sheikh Akhter Ahmed, treasurer of BUHS; Nazrul Islam Rumi, former chief coach of BKSP; Aminul Islam Bokul, convener of Citizen Songjug; and Helal Ahmed, secretary of Prottashya; spoke on the occasion, among others.
The speakers said that it is important to encourage the villagers to produce food at home. Rooftop urban agriculture should also be given special importance as it can play a vital role in meeting the demand of vegetables in city and towns.
In their keynotes, Dr AFM Sarwar and Syed Mahbubul Alam Tahin said that it will be possible to deliver vegetable to the citizens at low prices if measures are taken to take vegetables easily by railways and shipping.
Other ministries concerned should come forward to control NCDs. If the NCDs are not prevented, the overall progress of the country will be hampered. So, many other bodies outside the health sector need to take responsibility to control NCDs.
They mentioned said that there are about 18 laws to ensure gymnasiums and open spaces. However, there are six laws to control unhealthy food and 30 more laws relating 11 ministries to ensure healthy fresh food. However, the health aspects are not important in the implementation of these laws.
Syed Mahbubul Alam Tahin said that it is important for the local government to formulate separate policies for creating an environment for manual labor at the local level. Besides, it is important to place importance in formulating urban agricultural policy to ensure supply of fresh vegetables.
