Health Minister Zahid Maleque
COVID-19 negative certificates must for travelling overseas: Govt
Bangladesh citizens, willing to go abroad, must obtain coronavirus negative certificates from the government approved testing centres following due process, the government said Sunday.
BNP MPs reject budget; say it’ll widen scope for plundering
BNP MPs on Wednesday turned down the national budget passed in Parliament on Tuesday as they think it will only create further scopes for those who plunder public money instead of helping the nation overcome the coronavirus fallouts.
'It’s waistcoat, not Mujib coat': BNP MP Harun
Harunur Rashid, BNP's MP from Chapainawabganj-3, on Tuesday said some media wrongly reported that he joined parliament wearing a 'Mujib coat', but it was a 'waistcoat'.
Govt to appoint 2000 more physicians to tackle coronavirus situation: Health Minister
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Monday said if the number of Covid-19 patients continues to soar, the government will take steps to appoint additional 2000 physicians to contain the situation.
Parameters set for red, green and yellow zones
To stem the spread of coronavirus, the government is planning to designate areas according to coloured zones - red, yellow and green. Different parameters have been set to separate the three and avoid arbitrary zoning.
5,000 technologists to be recruited soon: Health Minister
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday said the recruitment process of 5,000 new medical technologists is underway to strengthen the medical sector.
He came up with the information while inaugurating the 2,000-bed isolation unit at Bashundhara International Convention Center (ICCB) dedicated to coronavirus patients.
Mentioning that the newly-inaugurated hospital dedicated to coronavirus patients is the second largest hospital in the world for coronavirus treatment, he said that the government has been able to prepare this hospital within only 20 days.
“It has 2,013 isolation beds. Among them, oxygen cylinders have been attached to 71 beds. It also has at least 400 more portable oxygen cylinders,” said the minister.
Plasma therapy for coronavirus treatment is also underway. Remdesivir medicine is also being produced in the country. The medicine is being stocked by government, said Zahid Maleque.
The minister said a letter has been sent to all government and private hospitals for compulsory treatment of general patients at Non-Covid Hospitals.
He also requested the people not to hide any information if there are any Covid-19 symptoms.
About the government’s decision to ease lockdown, the minister said when there was an emergency, the government imposed lockdown and when it was needed to relax it, it has been relaxed following all safety rules. The government is taking decision considering all sides.
If people follow health rules properly, there will be relief from economic crisis as well as coronavirus, he added.
The Health Minister also thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her timely decisions.
2,000-bed coronavirus isolation unit at ICCB to be opened today
Health Minister Zahid Maleque is scheduled to inaugurate a 2,000-bed isolation unit dedicated to coronavirus patients at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) on Sunday.
Govt doing everything to tackle coronavirus situation: Health Minister
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday said the government is doing its best and taking necessary steps to tackle coronavirus situation.
As part of the government’s initiative, it has increased the number of tests and installed 42 laboratories, he said while inaugurating a 200-bed isolation hospital dedicated for Covod-19 patients of Anwer Khan Medical College and Hospital in city’s Dhanmondi area, as chief guest.
Over two million PPE (Personal protective equipment) were collected while over 100,000 testing kits are in store and some 7,000 doctors and nurses have been appointed in seven days, he said.
Besides, the appointments of some technologists are underway and the doctors and nurses were given training, said Zahid Maleque.
The government is also thinking of implementing plasma therapy and remedial medicine like the other developed country, he added.
Talking about the newly-built 200-bed hospital, the Health Minister said, “It'll play an important role in providing health services to the people of the country as its has 10 Intensive Care Units (ICU), 10 HDOs (Health Delivery Organisation) and five ventilators.”
Besides, a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine was installed at the hospital for ensuring Covid-19 test, he said.
With the new Covid-19 hospital, 14 dedicated hospitals were installed in the city which can provide medical services to 15,000-20,000 more people, he added.
The Minister also visited Covid-19 unit of the hospital before inaugurating it and expressed his satisfaction.
Chairman of Anwer Khan Medical College, Anwar Hossain Khan presided over the programme.
Coronavirus sample testing to be increased to 15,000 a day soon: Health Minister
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Thursday said that the number of coronavirus sample tests will be increased to 15,000 soon.
Treat corona patients as family members: Health Minister
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday urged the newly-appointed physicians to treat coronavirus-infected patients as their family members.