DHAKA: A high profile 10-member delegation from the public health ministry of Thailand is set to arrive in Dhaka on Wednesday (February 10) evening to join the first meeting of Bangladesh-Thailand Joint Working Group on health services to be held in Dhaka on February 11.

Thailand’s international medicine of the public health ministry senior advisor Jirot Sindhvananda will led the delegation, says a press release, issued by the Bangladesh embassy in Thailand.

Other members of visiting delegation will include senior officials of public health and foreign ministries, government pharmaceutical organization, Board of Trade and Private Hospital Association, it added.

The commerce ministers of Bangladesh and Thailand formed the Joint Working Group in 2013 under the Joint Trade Committee (JTC) to discuss about technical cooperation in health services including training and recruitment of doctors and nurses, trade and investment in health sectors and pharmaceutical industries.

The meeting comes as preparatory to the proposed 4th Bangladesh-Thailand JTC meeting to be held in Dhaka in the second half of 2016 as agreed during a bilateral meeting between commerce ministers -- Tofail Ahmed and Apiradi Tantraporn on November 2 of 2015 in Bangkok.

The meeting would also finalize the recommendations to be submitted to the 4th JTC meeting.

The Thai delegation is also scheduled to hold official discussions with the health and family welfare ministry officials on February 11 to identify and discuss mandated bilateral areas of cooperation on health related trade and services.

Additional health secretary Biman Kumar Saha is expected to lead the Bangladesh delegation, comprising Bangladesh ambassador to Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem, senior officials of the ministries of foreign and commerce, and board of investment, directorate of health services, directorate of family planning and directorate of general drug administration.

Private sector members of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FBCCI), Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries and Bangladesh Private Clinic Diagnostic Owners Association are also expected to attend the meeting.

The delegation is also scheduled to visit private hospitals in Dhaka including Kurmitola General Hospital and Private Pharmaceutical Industries in Tongi on February 11 to inspect the services of the hospitals and the production process of Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industries.

The Thai delegation is expected to depart Dhaka on February 11.

However, health services have been identified as an important area that has potential of trade and investment collaboration, technical cooperation and skill development between the two countries’ health sector.

In 2015, nearly 110,000 Bangladeshis visited Thailand to avail health and medical services, a sector in which Bangladeshis have been listed within top 10 spenders contributing to revenues in Thai medical tourism industry.

BDST: 1700 HRS, FEB 10, 2016
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