Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain has said that, regardless of the challenges facing the health sector, no irregularities or corruption will be tolerated.

“There are various crises in the health sector. Everyone’s cooperation will be needed to address them,” he said while speaking at the inauguration of the 17th Asia Pharma Expo at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in Purbachal on Sunday.

The minister also urged all stakeholders to work together to prevent corruption.

The three-day expo, organised by the Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Industry Association, runs from March 29 to 31 and features around 400 companies from 20 countries, aimed at promoting Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industry globally.

Health Secretary Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, speaking as a special guest, said the event is more than an exhibition; it is a step to advance the country’s pharmacy sector.

He highlighted the role of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman in developing the sector, noting that current entrepreneurs continue to enrich it.

Abdul Muktadir, chairman and managing director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and president of the Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Industry Association, said Bangladesh exports medicines worth $300 million annually and plays an important role in global pharmaceutical production.

He stressed that the sector, including the API industry, needs further policy support to grow.

Vice Chairman and CEO of the Export Promotion Bureau Mohammad Hasan Arif, Director General of the Bangladesh Drug Administration Major General Md. Shamim Haider, GPE Expo Ltd. CEO Paresh Jurmarvala, and Dr. Md. Zakir Hossain, secretary general of the Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Industry Association, also addressed the event.