30th International Scientific Conference of OGSB

The 30th International Scientific Conference of Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh (OGSB) was held during February 10-12, 2022 through a virtual platform. Many dignitaries from different countries attended the conference. Mr. Toslim Uddin Khan, Deputy Managing Director, SMC made a presentation on SMC's initiatives to increase the uptake of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC) and newly launched Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) for pregnant women branded as ‘FullCare' in the market. The discussion was highly appreciated by the Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (OBGYNs). They expressed their gratitude to SMC for introducing FullCare timely to reduce low birth weight in Bangladesh. Among others, the immediate past President of OGSB, Dr. Sameena Chowdhury, President-Elect, Professor Dr. Farhana Dewan and the immediate past Secretary General, Professor Saleha Begum Chowdhury were present in the discussion.

Knowledge Sharing on Multiple Micronutrient Supplements Implementation
Helen Keller International, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Consortium, Vitamin Angels, Johns Hopkins University, Sight and Life, Jhpiego and SMC jointly organized a virtual meeting on February 2, 2022 to share the implementation experiences on MMS and research updates across the globe. Featuring global nutrition experts, the event had a series of interactive sessions on ‘Learn about MMS during pregnancy'. In the forum, the Deputy Managing Director of SMC, Mr. Toslim Uddin Khan made a presentation on ‘Considerations for Scaling MMS in the Private Sector'. Mr. Khan highlighted the key challenges and successes of implementing MMS in the private sector.
The global nutrition experts highly appreciated to know the progress of MMS implementation by SMC in Bangladesh. Mr. Khan also informed that icddr,b is the research partner to see the impacts of the MMS implementation. He further emphasized that icddr,b is actively and closely monitoring the program activities and performances at periodic intervals for course correction if required. The audience concluded that the global experts need to work together for creating a favorable environment to replace iron and folic acid with the MMS during pregnancy.