A discussion meeting on palliative care was held with community volunteers at Study Kindergarten and High School of Bandar Upazila of Narayanganj on Wednesday (June 12) at 3 pm. Organized by AYAT Education, this meeting was organized with the aim of motivating the volunteers of Bandar Upazila with community-based palliative care activities and involving them in the welfare work of the project under the ‘Compassionate Narayanganj’ project.
Kabir Hossain, Adviser of Bandar Press Club spoke at the meeting under the facilitation of Sumit Banik, project coordinator of AYAT Education. Babu Charwar, Director of Lions Club of Dhaka-Narayanganj City, A. Jalil Bhuia, Director of Study Kinder Garden, Md Hasan Hafizur Rahman, Compassionate Narayanganj Project’s Field Officer, Zakaria Hossain, President of Leo Club of Narayanganj City, Sarwar Alam, Assistant Project Officer, Fahim Hossain, Ananya Rahman, Community Mobilizer, Shafiqul Islam, Coordinator and Puja Rani Sarkar, BD Clean Narayanganj Sadar, etc. .
Sumit Banik said, ‘Volunteers are life force for any society. We have to use this power. Any welfare work of the society can be successful if the volunteers are united. Volunteering provides opportunities to learn new skills and improve old ones, while helping others find true meaning in life. Also, we want to build a supportive environment in Bandar Upazila under the ‘Compassionate Narayanganj’ project, where no helpless or terminally ill person suffering from long-term disease will be denied the opportunity of palliative care services. It is our expectation that the volunteers will be next to the patients from their respective positions.
Md. Kabir Hossain said in his speech, ‘Volunteering is a very important process to increase positive mindset and social skills. It helps to increase empathy, which has a positive impact on personal and professional life. Cultivating the habit of empathy towards others leads to a sense of camaraderie and compassion. Volunteering provides an opportunity to work with people from different walks of life, which helps improve communication skills, as well as problem-solving skills to face various challenges.’
Sarwar Alam said, ‘Volunteering helps one find meaning in life, as one feels satisfaction in life by contributing to others. Volunteering is not only a way to help others, but also a means of success in personal and professional life. Volunteering experience is valued in many organizations for better employment opportunities. And as a volunteer, I consider involvement in the activities of Compassionate Narayanganj project as a good field to improve my skills. So I hope you will work for the welfare of palliative care patients with sincerity as always.
Md. Hasan Hafizur Rahman said, we are conducting various types of medical services in Bandar Upazila Health under the Compassionate Narayanganj project on behalf of BSMMU. It is not possible for us alone to convey the message of all these medical services to everyone. We want to spread information about this service through volunteers. And to make this program successful, there is no alternative to your sincere participation.
It should be noted that the main objective of the three-year ‘Compassionate Narayanganj’ pilot project is to integrate palliative care into primary health care. To provide necessary treatment to patients suffering from incurable, life-limiting diseases to make the marginal period of their life free of suffering, pain-free and safe. Also, the project aims to improve the quality of life of the affected person and his family by reducing the physical, mental, social and spiritual sufferings.
After the speech and experience presentation, the honorable guests and volunteers presented their opinions and important questions in the open discussion session.
