The government will directly procure a total of 20 lakh (2 million) bags of saline from a state-owned company for the treatment of dengue patients at the government hospitals across the country.

As per in-principle approval in a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday, 12 lakh (1.2 million) bags of Normal Saline of 1000 ml and 8 lakh (800,000) bags of Glucose Saline of 1000 ml IV fluid will be directly purchased from Essential Drugs Company Limited (EDCL) through direct purchase method (DPM).

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The move came from the Health Ministry against the backdrop of huge crisis of saline in both public and private hospitals where dengue patients are undergoing treatment.    

A total of 10,102 dengue patients, including 3,814 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.

So far, the DGHS has recorded 173,795 dengue cases and 162,447 recoveries this year.

In the first two week of September, the Aedes mosquito-borne Dengue claimed the lives of 174 people across the country. Besides, 33,336 cases were reported during the same period.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the virtual meeting of the Cabinet body.

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Sayed Mahbub Khan, additional secretary to the Cabinet Division, while briefing reporters about the decision of the committee, informed that as per proposal of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the DGHS will purchase the saline through EDCL.     

 He, however, did not disclose the cost of the saline to be purchased from the EDCL.    

He said the government moved to purchase the saline from the EDCL in order to deal with the deteriorating dengue situation across the country.

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The CCEA also in-principle approved a proposal of the Directorate General of Food under the Ministry of Food for conducting a Balancing, Modernization, Rehabilitation and Expansion (BMRE) programme of Chittagong silos through Direct Purchase Method (DPM).

No cost was also mentioned in this regard. However, the cost might be disclosed when it will come to the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCG) for final approval of the proposal.