Karachi, 30 November 2022:

Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Karachi extended all possible supports towards the eminent medical professionals, who are distinguished Professors in Medical University in Pakistan, for their participation at the 9^th South Asian Regional Pain Society (SARPS) Congress during 3-4 December 2022 in Dhaka. The Professors of Medical University in Pakistan, the delegate members, paid courtesy call on the Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Karachi S. M. Mahbubul Alam at the Chancery.

Bangladesh Society for Study of Pain (BSSP) in collaboration with the South Asian Regional Pain Society (SARPS) will host the 9^th SARPS Congress during 3-4 December 2022 in Dhaka. Eminent Pain Physicians, Medical Professors, Researchers, and Opinion Leaders from all over the world in the field are expecting to participate at the congress in Bangladesh. A team of eminent Medical Professors, a five-member delegation, from Pakistan will participate the congress in Dhaka as the International Faculty. The 9^th SARPS Congress to be hosted by Bangladesh aims to assist the development of Pain Medicine in South Asian Region.

During the meeting, the Deputy High Commissioner S. M. Mahbubul Alam briefed the delegation from Pakistan on the success stories of socio-economic progress in Bangladesh in general and in the health services/sector in particular. He said that Bangladesh has become a ‘Role Model’ of socio-economic development in the world. With a per capita income of US2,824 Bangladesh is currently among the five fastest growing economies in the world, ranking 41st in terms of GDP. He also mentioned that in Bangladesh current primary enrollment rate is over 98 percent. Since 2020, Bangladesh distributes over 400 million copies of free text books to the primary and secondary level student across Bangladesh, which is a unique success story of Bangladesh in education sector. He added in 1971 literacy rate in Bangladesh was only 18 percent, which is currently over 78 percent. In 1971, Bangladesh had only six medical colleges and five universities, whereas currently there are 160 universities including 53 public universities and 112 medical colleges including 37 public medical colleges producing hundreds of thousands of graduates and post graduates and over 10,000 medical doctors every year. Bangladesh trying to ensure best possible medical services to all. Community clinics are set up across the country to ensure immediate health cares at the door steps. There are over 300 state-of-the-art Pharmaceuticals in Bangladesh, which have been producing medicines to meet around 97% of domestic needs and exporting quality pharmaceutical products to over 80 countries in the world including the North American and the EU countries. He further added that lot of Bangladesh origin medical doctors, pharmacists and nurses are doing excellent jobs in different countries in the world including the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Iran, and Gulf Countries.

The Medical Professors from Pakistan highly appreciated the impressive success stories of Bangladesh. They attached importance for joint collaboration in medical research in the South Asian region and beyond. They also expressed their optimism that their participation to the 9^th South Asian Regional Pain Society (SARPS) Congress during 3-4 December 2022 in Dhaka would be fruitful in networking, sharing experience, and collaborating in future in the specialized filed area of medical sciences for the benefits of the people of the South Asian Region.

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