On March 22, 2019, our co-founder, Dr. Ruhul Abid, represented HAEFA at the Bangladesh Development Initiative (BDI) International Conference, which took place at Yale School of Management. BDI is a USA-based non-profit organization and takes a broad view of development and includes professionals from various disciplines who are involved in supporting social development initiatives in Bangladesh. The BDI 2019 conference featured critical thinkers, change makers, thought leaders, young scholars, experienced educators, eminent journalists, lawyers and human right activists, development specialists, NGO representatives, practitioners, and students. The goal of the conference was to create an inviting space for discussions on diverse issues that are relevant to the future development of Bangladesh.
This year, the conference included a plenary session on the Rohingya refugee crisis, a humanitarian disaster that has affected Bangladesh on many fronts, central to our focus at HAEFA. As part of the crisis, Bangladesh has hosted today nearly a million oppressed and desperate people from neighboring country Myanmar.
Dr. Abid was a panelist for the discussion titled, “Multiple Perspectives on the Rohinga Crisis.” During his presentation, Dr. Abid provided an overview of the two 22-member teams that have been serving in Kutupalong (Camp 1W) and Balukhali (Camp 9). Dr. Abid informed the audience that the total patients seen to date are more than 78,000 through the on-site mobile health care delivery system. He also explained the sophisticated cell phone-based m-Health and electronic medical record (EMR) software to coordinate screening test results, diagnosis, and treatment regime with HAEFA physicians. The panel concluded with a Q&A discussion. For more information about the 2019 BDI conference, please visit the BDI website