Drug abuse and drug addiction among students of University of Rajshahi

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the actual condition of the students of University of Rajshahi (RU) regarding drug abuse and addiction. Using case study method the research was conducted with four objectives: (a) to find out how respondents began drug abuse; (b) to discover the causes of their drug addiction; (c) to understand the process of their drug abuse; and (d) to find out the economic, social and health effects of drug abuse. Methods: Case study method was used in this research. Through snowball sampling 18 drug- addicted students of RU were selected as respondents. In-depth interview with a schedule was used to collect data from the respondents in January 2019. Results: Findings of the study show that the causes of drug addiction included curiosity, frustration, friends’ request, neglect from family and friends etc. The drugs which they usually abused were Yaba, Phensydyle, Ganja (Weed), Chuani etc. Their average monthly expenditure for collecting drugs was in between Taka 8,000-10,000. They collected those drugs from rickshaw pullers at different points within the campus and from Mizaner Mor, Budhpara slum and other places outside the campus. The respondents opined that drugs were available if sufficient money could be spent. The respondents had senior and junior fellow students and local boys as companions while taking drugs. Most of them faced physical problems after taking drugs, and some of them tried to get rid of this curse of drug addiction. Conclusion: The findings of this research show that the rate of drug addiction among the students of RU was quite alarming. Therefore, all stakeholders including the students, guardians, teachers, university authority, the law makers and law enforcing agencies, researchers, civil society, NGO’s and the state must come forward together to combat this formidable foe.

Awareness and Perceptions on Bioethical Issues among Pre-Service Science Teachers

This study aims to investigate the awareness and perception level of bioethical issues among pre-service science teachers at one of the Malaysian Education Institutions. A total of 67 respondents studying science major and science elective were involved. A questionnaire based survey with an alpha Cronbach of approximately 0.93 was used. Data were analysed using SPSS version 22. The results showed that the average awareness and perception level were =4.218±0.758 (very high level) and =3.991±0.923 (high level), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference according to religion and course. Cloning showed the highest awareness level followed by organ donation, genetic modification, stem cells, abortion, gene therapy, gene screening and euthanasia. Overall, the findings indicated that pre-service science teachers were aware of the existence of bioethical issues. However, the authorities may implement bioethical issues more firmly in the future to increase pre-service science teachers’ awareness and perception level.

Ethical Considerations in Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine: A Discussion Based on ‘The Belmont Report’

With technical sophistication and innovation in the field of medical science, a considerable proportion of medical diagnosis now rely on laboratory analyses, which emphasises the crucial role of laboratory physicians in patient care. Sustaining high ethical standards remains crucial in both clinical biochemistry and laboratory medicine, and several ethical dilemmas are faced by laboratory physicians in day-to-day practice. In a low-resource country like Bangladesh, formal ethics education or ethical framework in laboratory practice is still absent; ethics has not received that much attention it this field. This paper has considered ethical issues encountered during the daily routine work of laboratory physicians and specially focused on the ethical issues encountered during the pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical phases of laboratory medicine practice and discuss those issues in light of ‘The Belmont Report’ (1978) perspective. It is not intended to be a comprehensive one, rather it aims to complement existing guidelines and documents that are available in some institutions and to offer a framework for addressing ethical issues encountered in the practice of clinical biochemistry and laboratory medicine in Bangladesh.

Legacies of Love, Peace and Hope: How Bioethics Education can Overcome Hatred and Divide

In our pursuit of a good life (eubios), both individuals and societies, need to educate themselves on the pursuit of love of life in all domains, self-love, love of others, loving good and love of life. In this paper I reflect on my own journey through growing up in Christchurch, and experiences around the world, that are the basis for that conclusion. In our efforts to pursuit bioethics education we can enhance peaceful and harmonius coexistence in our world, through nurturing good decisions that we should all make.

Editorial

Cambridge online dictionary offers the meaning of the noun term “environment” as the air, water, and land in or on which humans, animals, and plants reside1. The environment can also be mixture of factors that influence both organic and inorganic ecosystems and their shared co-existence. This co-existence is the last idea that is given significance in the sophisticated and busy life styles of the modern day. In other words, in our own attitudes lies a large portion of causal conditions for outward environmental disruptions and imbalances. The challenges we face globally have their origin in local settings, the threats we face at the surface level of our location have their origins at 'deep level' in our very own way of living, in the very way of our behaviour towards others. With this absence of senses, species of human beings not only put themselves at risk, but also put other species of life in danger all over the world. It can be said that the ecological sufferings what we are experiencing today are seemed to have deep roots in anthropocentric views about the dominion of humans on earth. Without major societal changes, including changes in the habits of human beings, these exploitative, consumerist practices cannot be resolved 2. The papers in this issue on Environmental Ethics emphasize the need of the sense of morality towards the surrounding environment.

Editorial

Public health system always requires an advanced level of awareness and a comprehensive policy. However, as is often the case, expectations and actualities do not match. In order to understand the situation, planning and other related initiatives, and to assess the adequacy in terms of the expectations borne out of experiences, the papers in this volume detailed the issues and the need of ethics in formulating the policies and contributing in the vision of the development of the country. In order to have a comprehensive ethical policy and planning, a concern for the initiatives and development deep down in the policy formation is required. Despite the fact that there is need of ethics in such formulation, the need is yet to be acknowledged in the relevant policy documents. The five papers in the volume emphasise such need.

Ethics after Darwin: Completing the Revolution

This is a big-picture discussion of an important implication of Darwinism for ethics. I argue that there is a misfit between our scientific view of the natural world and the view, still dominant in academic philosophy and wider society alike, that there is a discrete hierarchy of moral status among conscious beings. I will suggest that the clear line of traditional morality – between human beings and other animals – is a remnant of an obsolete moral outlook, not least because it has no counterpart in empirical reality, and I will invite the reader to think, with me, about tenable alternatives.

Training Programme on Applied Research Methodology and SPSS

Bangladesh Bioethics Society in cooperation with National Institute of Neuro Science (NINS), Agargoan, Dhaka is going to organized 60 hours (Two weeks) Training Course on Applied Research Methodology and SPSS on February, 2021 for the Post graduate Medical Students of NINS. The course is designed to familiarize the participants with modern tools, techniques and methodologies of research to develop professional knowledge and skills in the field of Health care system. After completion of the course, participants will be expected to undertake research projects independently and to be able to evaluate the research progress at each stage of the process. This programme is funded by SSRC, Planning Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

A survey on the attitude of college students to the privacy right as opposed to the right to know

There are times when two essential human rights may appear to be in conflict, or need to be balanced against one another. This paper examines the right of a party, such as officials, a group of people or an individual, to ‘privacy and confidentiality’ when others may have a conflicting ‘right to know’ about them. Although similar conflicts have been studied by other researchers, there is still controversy over the rightful balance in situations driven by new information and communication technologies. I conducted a survey on the attitude of college students to the privacy right versus the right to know using an actual case at the university. First, I asked the students if they believed protecting the privacy of a married teacher who had fathered a child with a student was more important than the right of the school to know. Second, I asked if they believed a child born to a single mother in such a relationship has the right to know about his father, or the single mother has the right to keep that information confidential. Third, I asked the students if they believed in general that the ‘right to privacy and confidentiality’ was more important or the ‘right to know’. This paper reports on the results of this survey on 222 students at an international university in Japan.

Ethics in Social Research and Its Impact on Policy Implication, Planning and Development

This paper is an attempt to discuss how ethics associated with social research in connection with the collection of authentic and reliable data, use of appropriate data process and impartial data analysis for preparing an acceptable research report. Ethics is closely related to moral integrity, and values associated with appropriate methods and techniques applied for collection of reliable and authentic information that ensure the trust worthy research findings. This paper is based on secondary data collected through reviewing the relevant literatures. This paper examine to what extent the research findings contribute to the knowledge of planners and policy makers in formulating the appropriate policy and at the same time preparing effective as well as pragmatic planning based on the quality of research findings and finally thus may affect on development.