On 17 September 2019, for the first time on the occasion of World Patient Safety Day, a round table meeting was organized by the Directorate General of Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The round table meeting titled "Patient Safety & Pharmacovigilance in Bangladesh" was held at BRAC Center Inn in the capital in collaboration with Roche Bangladesh. Mr. Nayer Sultan, Director at Directorate General of Drug Administration, chaired the event. Health Directorate, Pharmaceutical Industry Association, Teacher of Faculty of Pharmacy of Dhaka University, Development aid organizations, representatives of hospitals and pharmaceutical companies and media representatives were also present at the event.
In his introductory speech at the beginning of the event, the Director at Directorate General of Drug Administration, Mr. Nayer Sultan, said that the Directorate General of Drug Administration is proud to join the World Health Organization (WHO) in celebrating this day for the first time. He also said that the Directorate General of Drug Administration has been working on its own initiative for many years with limited manpower to ensure safe medicine for patients. Besides, it is working earnestly to ensure universal health care to achieve the goal of sustainable development of the Honourable Prime Minister of the Government of Bangladesh.
Mr. Ramji Ismail, the representative of the World Health Organization, thanked the Directorate General of Drug Administration for celebrating World Patient Safety Day in Bangladesh like the rest of the world. He also emphasized on the appointment of pharmacists in hospitals.
In the concluding speech of the event, Assistant Director at Directorate General of Drug Administration, Dr. Akhtar Hossain thanked all those present. He said that despite the fact that there are some limitations, the Directorate General of Drug Administration is working tirelessly to ensure the safety of patients. Coordinated initiatives and overall cooperation of all stakeholders, including healthcare providers are required to ensure drug and patient safety through pharmacovigilance program included in the ADRM cell. He urged everyone to come forward to cooperate in this matter.