Purpose The purpose of this paper is to scrutinize the human rights dimensions of COVID-19 responses in Bangladesh through a viewpoint methodology in four critical areas: freedom of opinion and expression; access to information; protection of health-care workers; and marginalized populations’ access to health care. However, these responses remain non-aligned with the international human rights law obligations of Bangladesh, which undermines the human rights and dignity of its population. Based on the responses shaping and aggravating the situation, this paper concludes with some recommendations, which can be helpful for Bangladesh for better human rights responses in these areas, should a parallel situation emerge in the future. Design/methodology/approach This paper scrutinizes the human rights dimensions of COVID-19 responses in Bangladesh through a viewpoint methodology. Findings The responses of Bangladesh remain non-aligned with international human rights law obligations of Bangladesh, which undermines the human rights and dignity of its population. Originality/value This paper concludes with some recommendations, which can be helpful for Bangladesh for better human rights responses in these areas, should a parallel situation emerge in the future.

COVID-19 is an emergency public health issue and home quarantine can prevent the transmission. Quarantine restricts the people’s mobility and it has a silent impact on physical, psychological and economical aspect. The purpose was to explore the impact of home quarantine among the general population in Bangladesh. This was a descriptive type of cross sectional survey with 600 samples from different district of Bangladesh by convenient sampling with a structured and language validated questionnaire. The results indicate the huge impact of home quarantine. Among 600 participants, 71.7% (n=430) showed impact on their psychological health, 48.5% (n=291) physical health and 82.5% (n=495) on their economy. Study showed strong association between gender and psychological impact (p<0.01) and very strong association between living area and their psychological impact (p<0.00).There has also very strong association between their occupation and impact on their economy (p<0.00). Home quarantine has a progressive negative impact on the individual’s psychological health, physical health and their economy. Individual’s gender, living area and occupations are strongly associated with those negative impacts due to home quarantine. Supporting agency should take initiative to mitigate this all negative impacts of home quarantine and need to develop protocol for maintaining for health during quarantine time.

Background: Plantar fasciitis causes heel pain. The disease normally develops without injury. Clinically, standing or walking causes sole of foot pain, usually under the heel. Planter fasciitis is diagnosed clinically. Rest, stretching, strengthening exercises, shoe modification, arch supports, orthotics, night splints, anti-inflammatory medications, and surgery can treat plantar fasciitis. Injections and NSAIDs provide brief relief. Calf and plantar fascia stretching may help. When conservative treatment fails for chronic plantar fasciitis, surgery is recommended. In this trial, night splints were used to treat plantar fasciitis. Objective: In this study our main goal is to evaluate the association of Night splint to NSAID + ADL instruction in improving pain and functional performance. Method: This randomized clinical experiment was undertaken on 50 plantar fasciitis patients at NITOR, Dhaka. Group A and Group B was randomly assigned. Group A received NSAID, ADL, and a night splint; Group B received NSAID and ADL. Pain score, Tenderness index, and Visual analogue scale data were gathered from both groups every 2 weeks from the initial visit for up to 6 weeks. SPSS version 23 analyzed all data. Results: The present study showed pain and tenderness were significantly improved in Group A who were treated with Night Splint, NSAID & ADL instructions than in Group B who were treated with NSAID & ADL instructions after 6 weeks (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that application of Night Splint along with NSAIDs and ADL instructions is more effective in reduction of pain and other symptoms in patient with planter fasciitis than the drugs and ADL.

Background: Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. The condition usually comes on gradually without any injury. Clinically there is pain and tenderness in the sole of the foot, mostly under the heel, with standing or walking. The diagnosis of patient with planter fasciitis is essentially clinical. Treatment options for planter fasciitis include rest, stretching, strengthening exercise, shoe modification, arch supports, orthotics, night splints, anti- inflammatory agents, and surgery. Although injections and Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) bring relief, their effects are often only temporary. Stretching of the calf and plantar fascia may provide some benefit. In chronic planter fasciitis, surgical treatment is only advocated where adequate conservative management fails. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the application of night splint in the management of plantar fasciitis. Materials and Methods: This randomised clinical trial included 50 (fifty) patients with planter fasciitis who were seen in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department of the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) in Dhaka. The patients were divided randomly into two groups, Group A and Group B. Patients in Group A were treated with NSAID, ADL and Night splint, whereas Group B patients were treated with NSAID and ADL. The patients were evaluated clinically, and data was collected from both groups in a pre-designed data collection sheet for Pain score, Tenderness index, and Visual analogue scale in every 2 weeks interval from the first visit for up to 6 weeks. All the data were analyzed by SPSS version 16.1. Results: The present study showed pain and tenderness were significantly improved in Group A, who were treated with Night Splint, NSAID & ADL instructions than in Group B who were treated with NSAID & ADL instructions after 6 weeks( P<0.05). Conclusion: Night splint is an easy, non-surgical and cost-effective one which can be applied with other modalities. Night Splint, along with NSAIDs and ADL instructions, is more effective in the reduction of pain and other symptoms in a patient with planter fasciitis.

Background: Housework is traditionally an unpaid labour performed by women. It involves routine and compulsory household maintenance tasks can create musculoskeletal disorder like Law back pain (LBP). Objective: The main objective of the study was to identify the effects of household activities on LBP among Bangladeshi housewives. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 255 respondents. At the Musculoskeletal department of Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), Savar, Dhaka. The questionnaire was designed according to Bangladesh perspectives regarding household activities that housewife do at home. Severity of pain was assessed using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and data ware collected using face to face interview. Results: Study found that household activities like cooking and chopping (p<.0001), washing dish and cloth (p<.0001), sweeping floor/cleaning toilet (p<.0001) were significantly associated with LBP. The results from regression analysis showed that having LBP compare with the time duration of cooking (OR=11.2; CI=2.62-47.73), chopping (OR=2.67; CI=1.44-4.93), washing dish (OR=3.33; CI=1.50-7.39), washing cloth (OR=5.71; CI=2.94-11.10), sweeping floor (OR=4.71; CI=2.33-9.53) was significantly higher among housewife than who don’t do this activity at home. Conclusion: This study revealed that all of married women had to do their household activities for a long period in awkward posture. Elderly housewives suffer more, as the duration of married life and duration of doing household activities are high among them. Among the activities coking, chopping, washing dish, washing cloth, lift heavy objects and sweeping the floor/cleaning toilet were done by maximum housewives. Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2020; 46(3): 189-195