Hasina pledges to support people with autism

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has promised to give “any necessary support” to give people with autism normal lives.

She was speaking at a roundtable discussion on 'Addressing Autism through Partnership' on the sidelines of the meeting of the health ministers of World Health Organisation- South East Asia Region (WHO-SEARO) at Sonargaon Hotel.

“I am always with you. Those who suffer because of their autism will get any support that the government can offer,” she said.

Saima Hossain, member of WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Mental Health and daughter of Hasina, chaired the roundtable discussion and presented a keynote paper on Global Initiative on Autism.

Dean of Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University Michael Klag and founder and director of Kuwait Centre for Autism and Vice President of World Autism Organisation Samira Al Saad also delivered speeches.

Indian health minister Harsh Vardhan, Bhutan Health Minister Lyonpo Tandin Wangchuk, envoys of Britain, Canada, Italy, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, charge de-affairs of China, USAID, UNDP, UNFPA, UNCEF and ICRC and World Bank representatives took part in the discussion.

In her written speech, the prime minister said in 1974, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took initiatives to enrol visually impaired students in the country's 47 general schools.

She also spoke about her government’s initiatives for the welfare of people suffering from disabilities.

“Persons with autism developmental disorders are not burden for the country at all. Many famous scholars were born with autism. I believe that in Bangladesh such persons can reach their full potential if they are nurtured properly, get social compassion and state patronization," she said.

The government has taken steps to turn the National Disabled Development Foundation into a directorate to provide more services to the physically and mentally challenged people in remote regions, she said.

“Despite having limited resources, our government doesn't have any dearth of sincerity to deal with the challenges of disability,” she said.