Lessening the burden of neurological disorders in low resource settings: A ground level perspective

Professor Naila Zaman Khan is the head of the Department of Pediatric Neurosciences at Dhaka Shishu (Children’s) Hospital and academic director of Bangladesh Institute of Child Health. The Child Development Centre & Neurology Unit,at the Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital the first of its kind with in an acute care hospital in Bangladesh was established in 1992 by Professor Naila Zaman Khan. It includes an out-patients clinic, an in-patients neurology ward& a multidisciplinary Child Development Centre or CDC (Shishu Bikash Kendro in Bangla). Specialized clinics within the CDC include a General Developmental Assessment Clinic, Epilepsy Clinic, Speech Language and Communication Clinic, Low Vision Clinic, Seating and Feeding Clinic, Mental Health Services, Psychological Assessment, Psychosocial Counseling Clinic, More Than Words Clinic (for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders), and a Well Baby Clinic (for at-risk children especially newborns and neonates), 

A multidisciplinary team of professionals comprising of physicians, psychologists, developmental therapists, neurophysiologists and psychosocial counselors provide key services to the children and families within the CDC, which aims to improve functional skills and adaptive behavior of the children presenting with a range of acute and chronic neurodevelopmental delays and disorders. Based upon the success of the CDC, and with the assistance of DSH, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh, has starting replicating similar Shishu Bikash Kendras across all medical college hospitals of the country.