Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government, said that to ensure national development and progress, skilled and capable human resources are needed. He said, "No matter what the situation, no matter how challenging it is, we must build a healthy and strong generation."

He said this at the signing ceremony of the 'Joint Declaration' to enhance inter-ministerial cooperation to take and implement integrated initiatives in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases at the Office of the Chief Advisor on Wednesday (August 20) morning. During this, a joint declaration of 35 ministries on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was signed.

At the event, the Chief Advisor said, "We have all come together today on a very important issue in the health sector. I say important because to ensure national development and progress, skilled and efficient human resources are needed. If we cannot develop skilled and efficient human resource management, neither personal life nor national development can be done properly."

He said, "Non-communicable diseases are spreading day by day in almost all countries of the world. This situation is even more critical in the context of Bangladesh's socio-economic, geographical location and the large population living in small areas. Therefore, this is perhaps the most important aspect of national health management, which is closely related not only to the health sector, but also to our overall economy, social security and sustainable development."

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus said, according to the World Health Organization's 2022 report, 71 percent of total deaths in Bangladesh are due to non-communicable diseases and 51 percent of these deaths occur under the age of 70, which we consider as premature deaths. Our out-of-pocket expenditure is 69 percent, most of which is spent on non-communicable diseases.

The Chief Advisor said that just as it is important to improve the treatment management of non-communicable diseases, it is also necessary to create appropriate public awareness and prevention and control measures so that the diseases are reduced or eliminated. This is not possible for the Health Services Department alone. For this, cooperation from all ministries is needed. At this time, the Chief Advisor said that each sector such as food, agriculture, education, sports, local government, public works has an important role. He said that specific action plans and intensive initiatives are needed from each sector. Therefore, these ministries have been identified and their tasks have been determined.