Bimstec healthcare expo kicks off in city

A three-day regional exposition titled "Bimstec Ayush Traditional Healthcare Expo 2020" started in the capital on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen inaugurated the fair at the International Convention City Bashundhara. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das was present at the inaugural ceremony, said a press release. 

Speakers at the programme said Bimstec is an inter-governmental organisation which connects seven Bay of Bengal countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand – to promote peace, prosperity and sustainable development of the people of this region. 

Trade, investment, transport connectivity, energy cooperation, and public health are some of the core areas of Bimstec cooperation, they added.

Indian Chamber of Commerce and Bangladesh Ayurved Foundation jointly organised the event with support from the Bimstec Secretariat in Dhaka, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh, and the Ministry of Ayush of India.

Fifty companies from the Bimstec countries will showcase their products in the expo, including organic and natural products, nutritional food and beverage, raw materials and ingredients.

It will also explore possibilities of business development, joint venture and knowledge sharing.

A Bimstec taskforce on traditional medicine to control the standard of healthcare system has been set up which will also do research. 

The World Health Organisation says 60-90 percent of the people in Bimstec countries use traditional medicine to meet their various needs. The market value of this medicine is multi-million dollars.