Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital will be turned to a 500-bed one from 250 beds to provide better health care to the Rohingya population and rising tourists, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Thursday. Besides, arrangements will be made to provide dialysis service at the hospital, said the minister. He was speaking at the inauguration of the newly built "Dr. Abdur Nur Bulbul Bhaban" at Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital, a joint initiative of Bangladesh Government and UNHCR. Read more: Govt to issue health cards for all: Health Minister Although Cox's Bazar currently has a 250-bed Sadar hospital, 600-700 patients receive health care there every day, he said. “Patients are receiving treatment staying on the hospital floor as well. That’s why it is important to increase the number of beds in this hospital.” He said if this three-storied hospital can be turned into a 10-storied one , it will be possible better health services to   28 lakh local people and tourists. Read more: No unauthorised clinics in Dhaka city, health minister tells JS

Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said that the ongoing drive against illegal healthcare facilities in Bangladesh will continue so that no one can do business with peoples’ lives. The minister said this after visiting Rajshahi Sadar Hospital on Thursday (September 15, 2022) morning. “We won’t let any healthcare facility operate if they don’t provide services in a proper way,” the Minister said. Also read: Health minister places icddr,b bill in Parliament Replying to a question, Zahid added that those healthcare facilities which have been closed will remain so until they use proper medical accessories and manpower. “According to the government’s rule, no healthcare facility can operate without licenses. Till now, we’ve closed down around 2,000 hospitals and clinics due to not having licenses. We have some conditions that the healthcare facilities will have to follow if they want to continue their operation,” the minister added. About Rajshahi Sadar Hospital, Zahid said that he has found a shortage of manpower there and will address the issues through outsourcing and recruitment. Also read: Pharmacies in Dhaka to remain open all day: Health Minister Besides, the minister has also assured of upward expansion of the hospital building so that the hospital can accommodate a large number of patients.

Children aged between five and 12 will be vaccinated against Covid-19 soon, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Tuesday. Birth certificate is required to get registered for Covid vaccine, he said. He was speaking at the inaugural and certificate distribution ceremony of the "Certificate Course on Neurodevelopment Disorder" organised by the Institute of Paediatric Neurodisorder & Autism (IPNA) at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). Read:Children aged 5-12 to be vaccinated by June: Health Minister “Although several countries of the world have started vaccinating their children, we have not yet been able to vaccinate children. Because, we didn’t receive approval from the World Health Organization (WHO),” he said. “Now we have got the approval, so we will start the programme very soon.” He said they have also received the suitable vaccine for children. There are about 1.5 crore children and it will take time to vaccinate them all. “So get your children registered fast to get them vaccinated,” he urged the parents. The minister said they have a plan to manufacture vaccine in the country and already selected a land in Gopalganj in this regard. “We will manufacture all the vaccines there.”

Sangsad Bhaban, Jun 20 (UNB)- The government plans to set up burn units in five divisional medical colleges and hospitals in the country with Saudi Arabian funding. Health Minister Zahid Maleque said this in Parliament on Monday, responding to a tabled question from ruling Awami League MP elected from Chattogram M Abdul Latif. The five burn units would be set up in Sylhet, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Barisal and Faridpur. The health minister said the project will be implemented from July 2022 to June 2025. The project was approved at the ECNEC meeting on December 7 last year. “In addition, a 100-bed burn unit will be set up at Chittagong Medical College Hospital with funding from the Chinese government." He said that project was taken to set up a burn unit in Mymensingh district and Khulna district under the fourth sector program. In reply to a query from opposition BNP MP elected from Chapainawabganj Aminul Islam, the health minister told Parliament that mobile courts of Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) had cancelled the  registration of 136 commercial drugs in 2021 due to non-compliance and other irregularities. The minister also said that the licenses of 49 drug manufacturing companies have been suspended during this period. Besides, production and marketing of all types of medicines of 14 pharmaceutical companies have been suspended in 2021. At this time, 2036 cases have been filed in the mobile court run by the DGDA and a fine of Tk 2.67 crore has been realized on charge of producing and marketing fake, contaminated and unregistered medicine.    In response to another query from M Abdul Latif,  the Health Minister said that if any sick person is taken to the hospital or clinic or doctors, then there is no chance of refusing to provide emergency medical services to that person. “Strict guidelines have been issued to all government and private hospitals and clinics by the Department of Health under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in this regard and regular supervision is being carried out by the Department of Health in this regard,” he added. Replying to a question by BNP MP elected from Bogura Gulam Mohammad Siraj, the health minister said that steps would be taken to introduce separate units in government hospitals in all districts to provide medical services to drug addicts in future.  END/UNB/FF/ssk/2318

Bangladesh has been the largest recipient of Covid-19 vaccines worth about Tk 20,000 crore free from the World Health Organization (WHO), said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday. “At the same time, we have been able to vaccinate about 98 per cent people of the targeted population against Covid-19 in the country, which is about 75 per cent of the total population,” the minister said this while addressing a meeting of Awami League members at Manikganj district on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. Also read: Children aged 5-12 to be vaccinated by June: Health Minister “By the grace of Allah, under the guidance of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, we have been able to control Covid situation today,” he said.  Maleque further said this time Eid is being celebrated in full swing in the country following continuous downtrend in the Covid infection rate due to the mass vaccination. Also read:Ensure wearing masks, social distance, health guidelines amid Covid surge in world: NTAC He said, “The country's economy is moving on with six per cent GDP growth.” In countries where Covid situation is out of control, the economy is in recession, he said. “Bangladesh is one of the countries with the strongest economy in the world,” he added.

The results of the 2021-22 admission test for the MBBS course at the country’s public and private medical colleges have been published. Health Minister Zahid Maleque announced the results at a press briefing held at the health directorate on Tuesday noon. Also read:MBBS admission test held Friday A total of 79,337 candidates (55.13 per cent), 44,504 (56.09 %) girls and 34,833 (43.91%) boys, passed the test this year, nearly seven times the number of available seats. There are a total of 10,839 seats, including 4,350 at 37 public medical colleges and 6,489 at 72 private medical colleges, across the country. The results are available on the DGHS site. Also read:HC turns down writ seeking cancellation of MBBS admission test results A total of 139,742 aspirants took the admission test this year, held at 57 venues across 19 centers on April 1. The successful candidates will get the chance to get enrolled first at public medical colleges and then at private ones on the basis of merit.

The second round of mega Covid vaccination drive without any registration has been extended by three more days until April 3, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Thursday. The minister made the announcement while handing Health Minister’s National Award 2020 at the city’s Osmani Memorial Auditorium. Read: Bangladesh sees 73 new Covid cases, no death “To tackle the Covid-19 situation, so far 13 crore first doses and 11 crore second doses of vaccines have been administered bringing 96% of the targeted population under the campaign,“ said Minister Maleque. “We still have five crore vaccine doses in stock and have six crore more in pipeline. We have decided to extend the mass vaccination program to bring the remaining people under the campaign,” he said.

The Bangladesh government has warned that it'll be forced to impose a full lockdown in the country if people fail to adhere to the recently issued Covid-19 restrictions. "We urge all the people of this country to abide by the recently issued 11-point Covid-19 guidlines," Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Saturday. "If these instructions are followed, there will be no need for a lockdown in the country. If another lockdown is imposed, people and the country will face losses again," he said. He, however, made it clear that the government could impose a complete lockdown in Bangladesh "if these guidelines are not followed". The Health Minister was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration function of a CT scan and Dialysis unit at Manikganj General Hospital in the morning. Amid the growing concern over the new Omicron variant of to coronavirus, the government on January 13 came out with the restrictions on movement of people and public transport vehicles. Read:Don’t leave your workplaces: Health Minister to expats

Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday said the drive to administer Covid-19 booster doses will in next seven to ten days. “Currently, we have 4.5 crore doses of vaccine in stock, and the drive to inoculate booster doses can be started within seven to ten days,” he said at a programme while receiving 80 lakh doses of AstraZeneca vaccine donated by Japan and UK through the global COVAX facility. Read: National Committee recommends booster dose for above 60 citizens, frontliners Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Naoki Ito and British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson handed over the donations to the health minister at State Guest House Padma. Maleque said “Japan is a close friend of Bangladesh since the Liberation War while the British government stands by Bangladesh in any crisis of the country. So, the vaccine doses received from the two countries will strengthen us to fight Covid-19.” So far, three cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected in the country and all of them have been put under quarantine, he said adding “They are doing well and undergoing treatment.” He also urged the people to abide by the health guidelines and get Covid jabs. On Sunday, the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19 recommended booster shots to the citizens above 60 and frontliners. The senior citizens and frontliners who got the two doses of vaccine six months ago will get the booster dose, the NTAC recommended at a meeting. It also suggested all to take steps to limit public gatherings, meetings and rallies to contain the spread of Omicron. On December 9, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Omicron is now present in 57 countries and asked all countries to stay alert about the new variant. Read: Booster dose in Bangladesh: Authorities asked to work on a precise guideline A WHO panel named the Coronavirus variant ‘Omicron’ and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the predominant delta variant, which is still a scourge driving higher cases of sickness and death in Europe and parts of the USA. Amid the growing concern over the new ‘Omicron’ variant of coronavirus, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) suggested the implementation of 15 instructions to prevent the spread of the new variant and urged all concerned to take measures to enforce the instructions. After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Bangladesh on January 27, the health ministry rolled out the inoculation drive at five government hospitals in Dhaka on January 28.

The government will administer Covid-19 booster doses to senior citizens aged above 60, but the date for the campaign has not yet been decided, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Tuesday. “We will sit later to set the date. We have a plan to provide booster dose to those who are seriously ill,” he said while talking to reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting on Covid-19 at the ministry. He said the meeting discussed measures on how to prevent Omicron, a new powerful variant of the infection, from entering the country and contain its spread. Read: Omicron: DGHS recommends enforcement of 15 instructions The minister said the government is recommending a ban on flights from African countries and discouraging travelers arriving from Africa in a move to stem the infections. “Those who still arrive will be placed under institutional quarantine under the watch of the military,” he said adding that this applies also for passengers from European countries. Vigilance along the borders will be strengthened. “Many people have come and go to our neighbouring country and we have discussed restricting public movement in bordering areas,” he said. Zahid listed a number of other measures the meeting has decided to take in tackling the virus. Deputy Commissioners will be asked to ensure that social, political and religious programmes are conducted on a limited scale. Besides, directives have been given to conduct mobile court drives to ensure the use of masks and slap fines for breaches, he said adding “Our health department has been asked to form a national monitoring cells in all districts and upazilas and take decisions instantly.” He also urged people to arrange virtual meeting instead of physical presence. No vaccine no service “We are going to introduce no vaccine, no service system because we have found some people reluctant to be jabbed,” he added. “We have brought school students, slum dwellers and people from all walks of life under vaccination programme. Our move of ‘no vaccine no service’ is to accelerate the vaccination programme so that people come forward to get the jab.” Replying to a question Zahid said “We will send letters to all ministries and they will enforce it.” Zahid said the country is now better prepared with hospital treatment of Covid patients than before. Read: NTAC recommends travel ban to contain new variant Omicron