United News of Bangladesh

Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain on Sunday criticised opposition Jamaat lawmakers for defending Ad-din hospital, saying it’s license was suspended due to utter negligence that led the death of six babies. "Why do you link every issue with your party ideology? One cannot oppose the country in the name of ideology, which you had done in 1971,” he said, pointing at the opposition bench members in Parliament. The Health Minister said this taking part in the general discussion on the proposed national budget for 2026-2027 fiscal year in the House. “Being the health minister, I must look after the health and welfare of my people. My children cannot be allowed to die without treatment,” he said adding that the hospital took permission on condition of maintaining discipline. The minister expressed deep sympathy for the families of the six babies who died alleging that the deaths resulted from negligence at Ad-din Hospital. He said it is true that Ad-din provides dialysis services at a subsidised rate of Tk 200 to Tk 250 as claimed by them (Jamaat MPs). Countering arguments raised by the opposition in Parliament, "They (Jamaat MPs) asked whether a headache should be treated by cutting off the head. I say ‘No’, it should not. But those who cut off heads must be brought to justice." The minister also rejected comparison between the Ad-din incident and a deadly fire at United Hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic. The license of United Hospital was not suspended following death of six persons at a fire as it was an accident but it is an incident of gross negligence in Ad-din hospital, he said. Raising the horrible picture at Ad-din Hospital, Sakhawat Husain alleged that the newborns had struggled for their lives after the air conditioning system was switched off in a room without windows and there was no oxygen supply. "The babies were gasping for breath while 16 or 17 mothers ran around helplessly. They eventually collapsed and died due to carbon dioxide accumulation. Even the owner (of the hospital) did not come to see the situation (after the death incident)," he claimed. The minister said he visited the hospital the following day and spoke with two doctors. "I found that the babies died because of negligence and a lack of oxygen. Should we have remained silent? Hospital discipline comes first. Bangladesh comes first," he said. He further alleged that a bakery had been established adjacent to the hospital in violation of safety standards, creating a serious fire hazard. "If a fire broke out there, no patient or attendant would be able to escape…..This happened because of the owner's negligence," he alleged. Defending the government's action, the minister said they had just suspended the hospital's licence rather than shutting it down permanently. "We have not asked to cut off heads. We have only suspended its licence. We, the government, are overseeing it. But you should not do politics for partisan gain," he told the opposition lawmakers.

Health Minister  Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain on Sunday said not only measles vaccination campaigns but also Vitamin A capsule distribution campaigns for children were not conducted during the tenure of the interim government. He made the remarks while speaking at a seminar titled “Public Awareness and Prevention are the Best Scientific Measures for Controlling Measles and Dengue,” organised by the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) at the Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the Jaitya Press Club in the capital. “Vitamin A campaigns are supposed to be conducted twice a year. One campaign was held during the first half of last year, but after that no Vitamin A campaign took place and now there is a severe shortage of Vitamin A capsules,” the minister said. He said the government currently has only a limited stock of Vitamin A capsules which are being distributed in small quantities. “We have already made the payment and UNICEF is expected to supply the Vitamin A capsules by June 10. I spoke to them four days ago and requested them to provide the measles vaccine as quickly as possible,” he said. Bangladesh is expected to receive more than 10 million Vitamin A capsules within the next five to seven days, he said. “Once the supply arrives, we will begin full-scale distribution among children, Inshallah,” he added. The Health Minister also stressed the importance of maternal nutrition and breastfeeding, urging doctors to create greater public awareness on the issue. “After a baby is born, if the child does not receive proper nutrition from the mother, various diseases may mutate and reappear in new forms,” he said, warning that emerging health threats could continue to affect the population if preventive measures are not taken seriously. Referring to his visits to hospitals treating measles-infected children, the minister said malnutrition was one of the key reasons behind the worsening condition of infected children. “I have visited several hospitals and observed that many measles patients are suffering from pneumonia due to nutritional deficiencies,” he said. He noted that maternal immunity through breastfeeding generally protects infants between six and nine months of age, but questioned why many children in that age group are now contracting measles. “From my discussions and experience, I believe the main reason is lack of nutrition,” he added. Calling for greater public awareness to protect children from measles, the minister urged doctors and the media to work together in spreading awareness about isolation, nutrition and preventive care. “If coordinated campaigns are carried out, people will become more aware. Mothers will provide protein-rich food to children and isolation practices will improve. We will then be able to protect ourselves from this outbreak,” he said. The minister also highlighted Bangladesh’s dependence on foreign countries for vaccines. “If foreign countries do not supply vaccines, we cannot provide them ourselves. We still do not have the capacity to manufacture vaccines for our nation,” he said. However, he expressed optimism about establishing a vaccine production unit in Munshiganj. The minister also emphasised that there is no alternative to cleanliness and public awareness in preventing dengue and controlling mosquito breeding. The seminar was chaired by acting DAB President Dr. Md. Abul Kenan.