PM's 5 proposals to deal with future epidemics

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasized the necessity of robust and powerful leadership to construct a more tolerant and equipped world capable of confronting future pandemics. These sentiments were expressed during a virtual meeting with Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

Participants: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

Venue: Virtual meeting from Ganabhaban

Key Points Raised by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Leadership Essential for Resilience: Sheikh Hasina stressed the significance of strong and resilient leadership in preparing the world to face the complexities of future pandemics. She highlighted the importance of political leadership in driving initiatives and commitments to address systemic changes for effective prevention, detection, and response to future epidemics.

Global Health Governance: The Prime Minister underscored the need to strengthen collective political will and commitment to enhance the World Health Organization's (WHO) capacity in terms of knowledge, technical expertise, and finances to effectively combat epidemics on a global scale.

Lessons from COVID-19: Reflecting on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, Sheikh Hasina emphasized the necessity of an integrated approach to pandemic preparedness and response based on scientific evidence, global cooperation, fairness, and equity.

Recommendations for Pandemic Preparedness: Sheikh Hasina presented five recommendations

Enhance international cooperation and coordination for sharing information, expertise, and resources.
Ensure equitable distribution and access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments.
Adopt a holistic approach to health systems considering the interrelationship between human, animal, and environmental health.
Invest in research and development for vaccines, therapeutics, and disease detection.
Establish sustainable financing mechanisms to support preparedness efforts.

Bangladesh's Response to COVID-19: Sheikh Hasina highlighted Bangladesh's proactive measures in managing the COVID-19 epidemic, attributing the success to continued efforts in the health sector and timely governmental actions. Bangladesh's ranking among the top five countries in COVID-19 management and recovery was also noted.

Global Collaboration: The Prime Minister emphasized the interconnectedness of nations and the necessity of global cooperation to achieve public health targets outlined in Sustainable Development Goal-3 and Goal-17.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's remarks underscored the importance of strong leadership, international collaboration, and proactive measures in preparing for and responding to future pandemics. Her recommendations offer valuable insights into building a more resilient and prepared world to safeguard global health security.