BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Monday raised concerns over the government's preparedness in tackling a potential new wave of coronavirus, as new sub-variants of the virus keeps spreading in neighbouring countries, including India.

“We learned during the last COVID wave that, except for a few private hospitals in Dhaka city, oxygen availability was extremely limited,” he said while speaking at a press briefing at the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.

The BNP leader said there was also a shortage of test kits and other essential medical equipment at that time.

“If another wave hits, does the government have the necessary life-saving drugs, injections and equipment in place? So far, we have seen no initiative or assurance from the government in this regard,” he said.

Rizvi criticised the Health Ministry for remaining silent about its readiness to combat any resurgence of COVID-19.

He said the ministry should proactively inform and reassure the public about the availability of sufficient medical supplies, including oxygen and emergency drugs — not just in Dhaka but also in district hospitals.

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“Despite cases already being detected, we haven’t heard anything from the ministry about public awareness or readiness. We don’t even know whether the government has taken any real preparation,” the BNP leader said.

He said the Health Ministry, on its own initiative, should tell the people to remain aware and provide reassurance that the country will not face the same problems it did in the past.

Rizvi’s remarks came in the backdrop of health authorities issuing a new alert amid rising cases of a COVID-19 sub-variant in India and other neighbouring countries.

As the spread of a new sub-variant of the coronavirus has increased in India and several neighbouring nations, there are concerns it may spread to other countries. 

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), under the Health Ministry, has already issued a new alert.

The alert advises people to avoid travelling to India and other affected countries unless absolutely necessary and instructs all land and airports to strengthen health screening and surveillance measures to tackle the potential risk.

Rizvi also slammed the government over the recent drop in rawhide prices during Eid-ul-Azha, claiming that people failed to sell their sacrificial animal hides at government-set rates.

“People didn’t get the prices fixed by the government. They were forced to sell at half the rate. Why should this happen?” he questioned.

The BNP leader said the government should have created a mechanism to ensure that those offering sacrifices could sell the hides of animals at a fair price. “But we saw no such system. This is a clear failure to protect public interest.”

Rizvi also questioned the logic behind the government’s decision to hold the next parliamentary election in April.

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He alleged that the government keeps swinging like a pendulum based on the suggestions of one or two political parties.

“How can it explain choosing April for the election? There are major public exams scheduled around that time — SSC, HSC, madrasa exams — and also seasonal natural problems. So why is the government trying to hold the election amid such adversities? People want to know the real reason behind it,” Rizvi said.