Bangladesh Urban Health Network Hosts 14th Knowledge Sharing Virtual Seminar on “Innovations in Urban Health Service Delivery: Digital Tools & Community Platforms”

The Bangladesh Urban Health Network (BUHN) successfully convened its 14th Knowledge Sharing Virtual Seminar titled “Innovations in Urban Health Service Delivery: Digital Tools & Community Platforms” on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM (Bangladesh Time, GMT +6). The session brought together government officials, development partners, health professionals, academics, technology experts, and civil society representatives to explore emerging innovations transforming urban health service delivery. The seminar focused on the integration of digital tools and community-based platforms to improve access, efficiency, and quality of healthcare services, particularly for underserved urban populations. It also examined policy and programmatic pathways for embedding digital health solutions within existing urban health systems while ensuring inclusivity, data protection, and long-term sustainability.

In his welcome remarks, Dr. Margub Aref Jahangir, Health Specialist (Urban), Health Section, UNICEF Bangladesh, emphasized the growing importance of digital transformation in strengthening urban primary healthcare systems. He highlighted the Alo Clinic model as a pioneering initiative that integrates electronic health records, real-time data systems, and community engagement to deliver quality healthcare services to women, children, adolescents, and the urban poor. He underscored the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships among government, development partners, private sector actors, and communities in scaling sustainable and inclusive digital health solutions. He also encouraged participants to actively exchange knowledge and practical experiences to advance equitable urban health systems.

The technical presentation by Dr. Md. Saidur Rahman, Team Leader, Partners in Health and Development (PHD), showcased the transformative impact of the ‘Aalo Clinics’ project in Bangladesh’s urban health landscape. Supported by UNICEF and the Embassy of Sweden and implemented through the PHD consortium, the project integrates digital tools and community platforms to establish an efficient, people-centered service delivery model. He highlighted the Digital General Practitioner Model and the Integrated Digital Health Platform (IDHP), which enable paperless healthcare services and the issuance of Unique Health IDs (UHID). The use of platforms such as OpenMRS+ and OpenSRP, combined with NID-based registration, facilitates lifelong electronic health records. Community health workers utilize digital devices to collect real-time data, strengthening centralized health information systems. Despite these advancements, he identified challenges including limited coordination between public and private health data systems and weak referral linkages. He emphasized the future potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven systems to build a smart, responsive, and sustainable health infrastructure.

The panel discussion provided deeper insights into the intersection of digital innovation, data systems, and community health needs. Dr. Shahin Akhtar, Technical Director, Eminence Associates for Social Development, highlighted the critical burden of maternal mental health in Bangladesh, noting that postpartum depression affects a significant proportion of women, particularly in urban slums. She presented an innovative AI-based multimodal screening tool that uses advanced technologies such as Transfer Learning and VGG-16 to detect depression through analysis of facial expressions, eye movement, and vocal patterns. Evidence from research involving 400 mothers demonstrated high prevalence among women aged 23–27 and those experiencing socio-economic stressors. The tool, successfully piloted at institutions including NIMH, OGSB, and ICMH, achieved an 85% accuracy rate and enables rapid, cost-effective screening without requiring specialist intervention. The discussion underscored the potential for scaling such technologies nationwide to strengthen maternal and child health outcomes.

Prof. M. Shamim Kaiser, PhD, Institute of Information Technology, Jahangirnagar University, highlighted key structural challenges in implementing digital health solutions in Bangladesh. He noted that limited digital literacy, low smartphone penetration, and high mobility among urban populations especially in informal settlements pose significant barriers to telemedicine and mHealth adoption. He also raised concerns regarding the lack of integration between digital health platforms and national health databases, as well as limited access to patient history data. He shared insights from an EU-supported AI-based e-prescription initiative that uses large language model (LLM)-based decision support systems to address non-communicable diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Additionally, he discussed an LLM-supported postpartum depression project targeting approximately 700 participants, which incorporates trigger-based psychosocial support mechanisms. He emphasized that the primary constraint in advancing AI-driven healthcare is not technology itself, but the scarcity of high-quality, shareable health data. He advocated for a co-design approach involving clinicians, technologists, and policymakers to ensure context-appropriate digital health solutions.

The session was chaired by Prof. Zahidul Quayyum, Professor (Health Economics) and Director of Research at BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health and Vice-President of BUHN. He reflected that the presentations and discussions were both timely and highly relevant, particularly in demonstrating the practical application of innovative digital health models such as Alo Clinics. He emphasized the growing importance of digital and mHealth services in expanding healthcare access in diverse urban contexts. A key theme that emerged during the session was the critical shortage of quality data, which remains a major barrier to effective digital health implementation, especially in AI-based systems. He highlighted the need for stronger coordination and data-sharing mechanisms among government institutions, private sector providers, and urban health stakeholders. He concluded by expressing appreciation to the speakers and underscored the importance of such knowledge-sharing platforms in advancing evidence-based urban health solutions.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Md. Shamim Hayder Talukder, Chief Executive Officer of Eminence Associates for Social Development and Member Secretary of BUHN, thanked all participants for their active engagement and valuable contributions. He noted that the seminar highlighted both innovative practices and persistent challenges, including data limitations, technological constraints, human resource gaps, and institutional barriers. He emphasized that strengthened collaboration, expanded knowledge exchange, and strategic partnerships will be essential to overcoming these challenges. Reflecting on the broader context of ongoing transitions and emerging opportunities, he expressed optimism that continued innovation and collective efforts will drive more inclusive, resilient, and technology-enabled urban health systems in Bangladesh.

The seminar concluded with a strong consensus that digital transformation must be strategically aligned with community needs, governance structures, and capacity development to ensure equitable outcomes. Key recommendations included strengthening data systems and interoperability, promoting inclusive digital health access, fostering public-private partnerships, scaling community-based digital platforms, and integrating AI-driven innovations into urban health strategies. The 14th Knowledge Sharing Virtual Seminar reaffirmed that digital innovation, when effectively governed and inclusively implemented, can serve as a powerful catalyst for advancing resilient, people-centered urban health systems in Bangladesh.