During September the two PRESCRIP-TEC partners in Bangladesh liaised with the government and key stakeholders to share the progress and potential impact of the project. Study briefing sessions on PRESCRIP-TEC were held at the Rangpur and Khulna medical colleges. At the end of these important communication sessions, participants were eager to take part in the project.
PRESCRIP-TEC partners’ joint effort in research and impact
The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and Friendship NGO are working together to execute the PRESCRIP-TEC project’s activities.
icddr,b is an international health research organisation dedicated to saving lives through research. icddr,b addresses some of the most critical health concerns facing the world today, including cervical cancer prevention. In the PRESCRIP-TEC Project, they are in charge of conducting the research. Furthermore, being an international and prestigious organisation, they have excellent relationships with the government and key stakeholders.
Friendship, in turn, is an international organisation that addresses social issues. They prioritise the interests of the communities they serve, especially those that are hard-to-reach and unaddressed. In the PRESCRIP-TEC project, they have direct contact with the beneficiaries in the field and they have the infrastructure to carry out the project. Because of Friendship’s involvement the project can have a real impact on the communities to increase the adoption of cervical cancer screening.
In addition to the above joint work, both organisations conduct study briefing sessions on PRESCRIP-TEC” at different medical colleges to share progress and the impact the project could have if implemented at national level.
Working with key stakeholders at Rangpur Medical College
icddr,b and Friendship conducted the “Study Briefing Session on PRESCRIP-TEC” at the office of the Director, Rangpur Division on the 12th of September. The session was very interactive.
The participants were impressed with the use of self-swab collection for HPV-testing in hard-to-reach areas and marginalised communities in the Northern riverine area of Bangladesh. They appreciated that FRIENDSHIP works with the community at the grassroots level, even directly at house level in the chars.
The session was attended by the Director of Rangpur Medical College, the civil surgeons of the Kurigram and Gaibandha districts, the gynaecologist and obstetrician of Rangpur Medical College and Hospital, the consultant obstetrician of the district hospital in Rangpur, the obstetricians of the Kurigram and Gaibandha district hospitals,and senior nurses engaged in cervical cancer screening.
Briefing key stakeholders at Khulna Medical College
icddr,b and Friendship visited the South of Bangladesh on the 25th of September to hold a study briefing session on PRESCRIP-TEC at the Khulna Medical College. Once again, this was a very participative session after which those who attended were eager to take part in the research.
During the briefing sessions the participants were always curious about how the women were willing to carry out the HPV self-tests considering the very conservative and religious context. PRESCRIP-TEC’s answer to this question is counselling and creating awareness among community members through repeated communications.
Informing the different stakeholders is very important for the success of the project. After the briefing sessions at Rangpur and Khulna, the stakeholders were eager to participate in the activities. With their help, we can go a long way in helping to achieve the WHO 90/70/90 strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem.
