Icddr,b and Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus (B-SCAN) has launched a new initiative to conduct a country-wide assessment programme to understand the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) accessibility of persons with disabilities and older people in Bangladesh.

The initiative was launched in an event at a city hotel on Tuesday.

This assessment is part of a larger multi-country study led by icddr,b and being implemented in Kenya, Indonesia, Zambia, Sierra Leone and Bangladesh with funding and technical support from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), according to a press release.

Mahbub-Ul Alam, Associate Scientist of icddr,b is the principal investigator of this study and B-SCAN, a voluntary organisation for persons with disabilities, is implementing this research in Bangladesh.

Persons with disabilities and older people comprise a significant proportion of the world’s population but often face social and economic exclusion, with COVID-19 making them even more vulnerable. They also have increased risk and inequitable access to WASH, menstrual hygiene management (MHM) services and health facilities, while very limited evidence exists to understand their experiences.

Under this initiative, a population-based cross-sectional study will be conducted across all the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh (from November 2022 to September 2023) to draw a nationally representative sample.

Besides, a household-based screening will be conducted in selected areas to identify persons with disabilities, and a detailed survey will be carried out, including spot-checking their WASH and MHM services, with at least 656 people with disabilities and an equal number of people without disabilities (matched for gender and age).

This study will help in identifying the challenges faced by persons with disabilities, older people, and their caregivers, especially during COVID-19, and compare it to people without disabilities, and younger people focusing on WASH, MHM, and healthcare access.

At the event, State Minister for the Ministry of Social Welfare Md Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru said the government is taking many initiatives for the betterment of the lives of people with disabilities.

“We always encourage this type of research. The more we work at the field level, the better we will understand the real scenario faced by persons with disabilities.”

Dewan Muhammad Shoaib, Senior Research Officer of EIU, IDD & icddr,b, and Salma Mahbub, General Secretary of B-Scan, gave the presentation and moderated the question and answer session. National and international public health experts, representatives from DGHS, DPHE, icddr,b, and the media were also present at the seminar.