Dipa Chowdhury, a female pharmacist from Bogura district in Bangladesh, felt the need to increase her knowledge of primary healthcare services, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), to assist her community better. With no special training in this area, she received a three-day training on SRHR issues as part of the Komlaphul Pharmacy intervention in November 2021. The training was implemented with the technical support of CIPRB and UNFPA Bangladesh.
Reflecting on her experience, Dipa said -
People from the community believe that we can help them with their health issues. People would ask for support, and sometimes I could not reply, which made me eager to learn. I remember when my father was hospitalized in 2016, I struggled a lot to understand the information provided about his health, and from that time I understood the importance of being a trained healthcare professional.
After receiving training, Dipa became an advocate for SRH and started supporting her community. She arranged a free advocacy campaign with the help of five trained intervention volunteers. They made home visits, motivated women and girls to come for a free basic medical checkup and SRH counseling, and distributed Komlaphul pharmacy leaflets among 325 families in the Tinmatha area of Bogura.
To offer support through this campaign, Dipa chose International Valentine’s Day. 183 clients, including pregnant women, women who recently delivered, eligible couples, and adolescent girls were successfully served, counseled, and referred on various issues under the campaign. She also distributed over-the-counter drugs free of cost and decorated the area with many SRH-related communication materials to ensure privacy and confidentiality.
People now approach Dipa as a ‘Free Apa’ (Apa means elder sister in Bangla) and talk to her with respect, filling her heart with joy and satisfaction. Women and girls know that information and counseling can be sought from any Komlaphul Pharmacy without hesitation. Dipa's efforts to promote information and SRH services will help women and girls in their communities to get proper SRHR-related information and services, ultimately contributing to the reduction of preventable maternal deaths and unmet needs for family planning in Bangladesh.
Reflecting on the support she received from UNFPA Bangladesh, Dipa said -
"I am very grateful to UNFPA Bangladesh for providing the technical support necessary to implement the Komlaphul Pharmacy intervention. With their support, I was able to increase my knowledge of SRHR issues and help my community better. I hope more pharmacists receive similar training and support so that they can help their communities in a similar way."
