Global Ambassador of SWBF, Professor Dr Mohamed Sakel(FRCP, UK) provided the keynote lecture on this upcoming new medical condition called LONG Covid in an International conference in Dhaka on 7th May 2021 at Pan Pacific Hotel Sonargaon. Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni MP was the chief guest in this awareness raising programme which was attended online by about 1000 people from different countries.
This was a launching meeting on a new pandemic which is approaching Bangladesh and the world after the current pandemic of COVID. The programme was Jointly attended by UK & Bangladeshi clinical leaders and MPs. The conference was chaired by Professor Dr Mohamed Sakel from Kent, UK. Dr Sakel presented the keynote speech outlining a large multi-national study on 14000 COVID patients of Bangladesh. His research suggests that in Bangladesh 16% people developed LONG COVID where as in UK the incidence rate is 10%. Dr Sakel outlined the new treatment protocol of LONG COVID that was proposed in UK and urged Bangladeshi leaders to start preparatory work to tackle this. Professor Trisha Greenhalgh, OBE, FRCP, FRCGP, FAMedSci. Professor of Primary Health Care Sciences at Oxford University presented research knowledge on the nature of Long Covid and its clinical management in the UK. Professor Karen Saunders, Global Therapy lead of SWBF presented practical advice on how it is possible to reduce breathing difficulties experienced by Long Covid sufferers. There were a number of eminent speakers in the conference including Professor Sabrina Flora ( ADG Health Ministry), Professor Mosharraf Hossain, Pro-VC of BSMMU, Valerie Taylor from CRP, Major General Fashiur Rahman from Kent Brain Injury Foundation, Professor Anwar Hossain, VC JUST. The Rt Honorable Baroness Manzila Uddin from House of Lords, UK assured her support for follow-up service developments by Dr Sakel’s team that included experts from UK, US, Canada, UAE, Sweden & Bangladesh. Dr Enamur Rahman, Disaster Minister of Bangladesh thanked Dr Sakel’s team for raising awareness on this new medical condition that will affect Bangladesh and the whole world in coming days.Dr Dipu Moni MP thanked Professor Karen Saunders from UK and Professor Lori Walton from US to support this research on Long COVID patients in Bangladesh and proposed the need for developing Neuropsychology undergraduate and post-graduate faculty in the universities. The programme was sponsored by BPA, Kent Brain Injury Foundation & CRP.