Dhaka to host maiden conference on family medicine

Bangladesh is going to host a regional conference on family medicine for the first time in Dhaka.

Global experts, particularly from South Asia, will converge for the two-day conference that will begin at a hotel on Friday.

President of the World Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA), Prof Michael Kidd will open the gathering.

Local host, Bangladesh Academy of Family Physician’s Secretary General, Dr Md Nurul Islam Bhuiyan told bdnews24.com that the conference would provide a forum for exchange of knowledge and information.

“We’ll discuss in the regional context the current situation of family medicines and its research facilities,” he said.

Family medicine concept is not commonly known in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Academy of Family Physician offers one-year degree for medical graduate to be a family physician.

“They (family physicians) basically stay close to the community and give primary service and when needed they refer to the appropriate specialists,” Dr Bhuiyan, its Secretary General, said.

The slogan of the conference is “family physician is a member of the family with knowledge and skill in medical science”.

The conference will have plenary sessions where global experts will speak.

Doctors from Australia, European countries, Japan and Malaysia will participate in the conference, apart from South Asian experts, Dr Bhuiyan said.