Dhaka (Bangladesh) Nov 10:  Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday called on the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina at her residence here, an official spokesman said.      
 The meeting, he said, lasted for more than 45 minutes during which several issues related to health were discussed.  Azad informed that India and Bangladesh were set to usher in an era of much closer cooperation in the field of health and medicine.
 A MoU between India and Bangladesh has been mutually agreed upon and is being put up for approval of the cabinet in India. The MoU covers several areas of cooperation which include exchange of medical doctors, other health professionals, development of human resources, medical and health research development, regulations, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and cosmetics.
 Azad informed that the signing of the MoU would give a formal structure to undertake specific collaborative projects for mutual benefit, including short and long term training of medical professionals, research projects, medicines and devices. He stated that traditional medicine could be another area of cooperation which would benefit people of both countries. 
  The spokesman said that earlier Azad inaugurated the International Conference on “Evidence for Action: South-South Collaboration for ICPD Beyond 2014” in which ministers and dignitaries from 25 member countries are participating.
 Speaking on the occasion, he highlighted the impressive achievements that have been recorded since ICPD in 1994 with worldwide reduction in fertility rate, increased use of contraceptives and slowing of population growth rate.
 Notwithstanding the remarkable achievements, he also cautioned against any complacency in this regard, particularly in PPD countries where fertility rates are still very high and availability of family planning services visibly deficient.
 He exuded confidence that deliberation in today’s conference focusing on South-South collaboration would help in evolving “Southern Consensus” for the post 2015 development framework.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 10 Nov 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 10 Nov 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 11 Nov 2012 00:00:00 IST