Mushtaque Chowdhury

The year 2020 was like no other in recent history. It saw, in the words of WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom, a “once-in-a-century health crisis”, referring to the Covid-19 pandemic, which continues to rage across the world.

In 1989, the United Nations decided to observe July 11 as World Population Day every year in the wake of the world population reaching five billion.

Never in the history of budget placement in this country has there been so much of excitement and interest.

The coronavirus rage is showing early signs of slowdown in most parts of Europe and South East Asia. Strict regimes of social distancing are being eased with reopening of schools and selected businesses, not without controversy though. But it is still advancing in the rest of the world and until an effective vaccine is universally available, it remains a threat to us all.

The recent outbreak of Covid-19 is unprecedented. Given the novelty and the rapidly evolving contexts, data gathered from the field is the only path to attaining the true picture of the disease’s progress.

We have come a long way in teaching and learning using technology. Whatever we call it—online learning, virtual learning, or e-learning—it has made education independent of time and place.

The country, and the world at large, has changed at an unprecedented pace over the last eight days.

Among many bold initiatives taken by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, introducing midwifery in Bangladesh’s health system is one of the most significant ones. The country did well in terms of reducing maternal mortality during the MDG era, but latest research reports of a stall in its further progress.