Effective communication, community engagement or best communication channels, are just a few of the concepts introduced to Bangladesh health professionals by Shamila Sharma, communication officer for WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO). On July 19 and 20, communication trainings were conducted for health professionals from Dhaka and across the country, through a workshop and a video training session hosted by the Directorate General of Health Services.
The trainings aimed to provide health specialists the proper skills to timely and effectively communicate on health issues, to convey the messages to media or the general public in a manner that best serves the public interest and communities’ needs of information. The trainings also underlined the importance of health professionals to engage with communities, to work closely with them on regular basis for better control and prevention of various diseases and sustain healthy life course.
During the same period, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) together with WHO organized a media seminar aimed at consolidating the communication capacities on health topics of the relevant institutions and organizations involved in public health. The event aimed also to strengthen the partnership with media institutions towards better, timely and accurate information on health.
WHO emphasizes the importance of communication on health both during normal periods or during emergencies, as it enables people to take informed decisions, protective and preventive measures, or to mitigate the effects of a threat.