Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain blamed a four-year delay and negligence in the measles vaccination programme during the tenure of ousted Awami League government and the interim government for the recent deaths of children.

 “The death of every child is deeply painful and a matter of shame for the government,” he said after inaugurating the second phase of the measles vaccination campaign at Korail TNT playground in Banani on Saturday.

The Health Minister said the nation had to pay the price for the previous government’s prolonged delay and negligence in importing vaccines from abroad, citing the suspension of the vaccination programme and excuses over the open tender system.

Expressing deep sympathy, he said around 1,000 children died of measles out of nearly 18.5 million children.

“The nation has had to pay the price for the prolonged delay and negligence. Many mothers have lost their children,”he added.

The current government after taking charge took swift measures and successfully implemented a large-scale nationwide vaccination campaign, he the minister.

The nationwide measles vaccination campaign targeting 34 lakh children aged six months to 59 months began on Saturday and will continue until October 31.

The government launched the vaccination campaign in three phases from April 5 after assuming responsibility and since April 20, the nationwide campaign has vaccinated around 1.85 crore children, he said.

The government has also set a target to vaccinate an additional 34 lakh children who were missed during the campaign.

Some ten lakh vaccine doses have also been kept in reserve for emergency needs and that vaccination with these doses will continue alongside the routine immunisation programme, he said.