DHAKA, June 5, 2020 (BSS) – Speakers at a pre-budget webinar suggested the government to put emphasis on health sector along with social safety net to overcome the challenges being rendered by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
They said a good number of people in different sectors in the country would face hardship in running their livelihood due to the virus outbreak which already casted the economy into a vulnerable state.
Dr Wazed Research and Training Institute of Begum Rokeya University along with Eminence Associate for Social Development and Digital Healthcare Foundation organized the webinar at the liaison office of Begum Rokeya University on Thursday.
Dhaka University’s former professor at management studies department Dr Mohammad Mohiuddin who is currently working as professor at School of Business of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology presented the keynote paper at the webinar titled “COVID-19: Comprehensive Social Development Thinking and Expectation.”
Speaking on the webinar as chief guest, Awami League advisory council member and member of the parliamentary standing committee on public account Dr Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, MP, opined that the government should lay emphasis on health, agriculture, social safety net, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the upcoming national budget which is scheduled to be place on June 11.
The former home minister said expenditure in less priority sectors inside government mechanism should reduce to pay extra attention to the sectors which help people for their survival in the COVID-19 gripped country.
In this webinar, discussants presented different aspects which should be prioritized in the upcoming budget for a comprehensive social development.
Former Senior Secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Md. Humayun Kabir highlighted various aspects of health finance.
Professor Dr Shuchita Sharmin of Development Studies Department at University of Dhaka and Chairman of Digital Health Care Foundation Brigadier General Md. Abdul Hamid (LPR) expressed their views on the challenges and possibilities of digital health care.
Research International Chief Executive Officer Professor Dr Abul Hasnat Milton spoke on the challenges of governance while clinical associate professor of Indiana University School of Medicine Tasbirul Islam discussed on the present context of clinical management monitoring.
Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Major Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah chaired the webinar while IUBAT Associate Professor Dr Tanveer Abir was the moderator.
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) city editor Madhusudan Monda, Eminence Association for Social Development chief executive officer Md Shameem Talukder, Dr Saber Ahmed Chowdhury of Peace and Conflict Studies Department at Dhaka University, Dashdisha Group chairman Mohammad Amin Helali, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT) Associate Professor Dewan Muhammad Nur-A Yazdani and Ahmed Khan, member of Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative at School of Social Science of Western Sydney University Australia also spoke at the webinar.