No one has been infected with monkeypox virus in Bangladesh yet, said the Health Ministry on Tuesday. A report on the detection of a monkeypox infected foreign national in Bangladesh which is circulating on social media, online and electronic media is not true, according to a media release of the ministry. Also read: Suspected Monkeypox patient sent to hospital from Dhaka airport No monkeypox case has been detected yet in the country and if any case is found in future, people will be informed through press release, it said. Earlier in the day, a Turkish citizen, who showed suspected symptoms of monkeypox, was sent to hospital after arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, authorities said. The man was first taken to the Airport Health Centre and then sent to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali, said Dr Shahrier Sazzad, in-charge of Airport Health Centre. The traveler arrived by a flight of Turkish Airlines at noon. The airport health authorities detected symptoms of monkeypox in him during screening, said Dr Shahrier. On May 22, the government instructed the authorities concerned to strengthen surveillance at land, air and sea ports for screening travelers coming to Bangladesh from countries with confirmed monekypox cases. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued a notice in this regard. According to the notice, monkeypox is not a new disease. It was found among people in West and Middle African countries in the past. Recently it has been detected among people living in European and American countries with no history of travelling in the African countries. Also read: Monkeypox: Govt orders screening passengers at all airports, land ports People who contracted the virus or came close to the infected people should be listed as suspected patients of monkeypox, it said. The suspected patients or patients having symptoms should be taken to government hospitals or Infectious Diseases Hospital and kept in isolation and it should be reported to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

Lawmakers from across the aisle on Sunday expressed resentment at the Health Ministry as people are not getting health services due to the deplorable state of upazila and district health complexes in their respective areas. Speaking during the question-answer session, they alleged there are serious shortage of doctors, nurses and other health staff in different health complexes and hospitals in their constituencies causing serious hampering of providing health services to people. Also read:Bill to establish new hydrocarbons agency placed in JS The treasury and opposition MPs also raised their voices saying many doctors and nurses who are posted in upazila health complexes, do not stay there. AL MP Dhirendra Debnath and Zilluk Hakim separately said that people in their constituency are not getting health services due to lack of doctors, consultants and health staff. Another senior MP of AL, Shajahan Khan said a 50-bed hospital in his constituency was increased to 250 beds. But people are not getting benefits of this as no additional doctors and nurses were recruited for the hospital. “Earlier in parliament, I raised the same issue before the health minister and he gave me assurance to appoint additional doctors and other staff for the hospital. But no measures were taken so far,” he said. Another AL MP SM Shahzada in his speech said he is in big trouble due to the sorry state of the health complex in his constituency. He also said the lone health complex in Golachipa upazila under his constituency—Patuakhali-3 remained in a very sorry state. “This health complex was established a long time ago. It is in a dilapidated condition,” he said. He mentioned that there are several buildings inside this health complex which have been declared abandoned due to their dilapidated condition. He said that this upazila has a population of 5 lakhs. There are about two and a half lakh more people in the adjoining upazila (Rangabali). Also read:JS selects 5-member panel of chairpersons “Health services of two upazilas are managed from this health center,” he also said. The AL MP also said that he wrote to the minister two and a half years ago for a new health complex.  Jatiya Party MP and Opposition Chief Whip Moshiur Rahman Ranga said there are costly medical equipment for treatment of kidney dialysis and cancer remaining unused in a hospital in his area for years. He said those expensive medical equipment cannot be used due to not having technical staff. BNP MP Rumeen Farhana said due to inefficiency of the government, the health ministry couldn’t spend a major portion of the money allocated in the development budget. AL MP Shahiduzzaman Sarker, Moazzem Hossain Ratan, Shahiduzzaman, Bikolpodhara Bangladesh MP Abdul Mannan, Gono Forum MP Mokabbir Khan, Jatiya Party MP Kazi Firoz Rashid also strongly criticized the health minister.    In reply to MPs' outcry, Health Minister Zahid Maleque admitted that there is a shortage of doctors and other staff in different hospitals and health complexes in the country. He, however, said, the government has reappointed many doctors and nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic and more doctors and other health staff will be appointed soon.

Four employees of the Health Education and Family Welfare Division under the Health Ministry have been suspended in connection with the missing of 17 files from the ministry. Secretary to the Division Md Ali Nur confirmed the matter to reporters at the secretariat on Tuesday. The four suspended staffers are computer operators Ayesha Siddika and Josef Sardar of Procurement and Collection Unit-2, office assistant of administration-2 unit Badal Chandra Goshwami and 3, office assistant of administration -3 unit  Mintu Mia. Also read: Missing files: Health Minister calls it “unexpected” The four-member probe committee formed by the ministry over the incident identified the four staffers. On October 27, it was revealed that 17 files of the Health Ministry had gone missing from the ministry’s Health, Education and Family Welfare division. A General Diary (GD) was registered with Shagbagh Police station in connection with the the missing of files the following day. Also read: Missing Files: 3 more Health Ministry officials taken into custody

Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Tuesday said that it is unexpected that 17 files have gone missing from the health ministry and an investigation is going on to unearth the matter. “We’re enraged at the incident. Legal steps have been taken and police are already investigating the matter. Further steps will be taken in this regard upon receiving the investigation report,” he said while talking to reporters after attending an event at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. Seventeen files of the Health Ministry have gone missing from its Health, Education and Family Welfare Division and it came to light on October 27. A general diary (GD) was registered with Shagbagh Police Station in this connection the following day. Read: Missing Files: 3 more Health Ministry officials taken into custody On October 30, the Health Ministry formed a three-member body to probe the incident.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has taken three employees of the Health Ministry into custody for interrogation in connection with the 17 files of the  Ministry that went missing. Contacted, Additional SP of the CID media wing Azad Rahman told UNB that the three employees were taken into custody for interrogation on Tuesday. He, however, did not disclose the names of the three employees. Earlier, six other employees of the same ministry were taken in by the CID for interrogation over the same issue. Besides, Nasimul Goni Toton, a contractor of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital, was detained from Keshabpur in Rajshahi city on Monday night, he said. Read: Files missing from Health Ministry: Man held in Rajshahi So far ten individuals, including the contractor, are being interrogated by CID, a specialized unit of Bangladesh Police, in connection with the Health Ministry’s missing files. On October 27, it was revealed that seventeen files of the Health Ministry had gone missing from the ministry’s Health, Education and Family Welfare division. A General Diary (GD) was registered with Shagbagh Police station in connection with the missing files the following day. The Health Ministry formed a three-member probe body in connection with the incident on October 30. Shah Alam, additional secretary (administration) of Health, Education and Family Welfare division, was made the chief of the probe body.

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) members detained a man from Keshabpur in Rajshahi city on Monday night in connection with the missing of 17 files from the Health Ministry.  The arrestee is Nasimul Goni Toton, a contractor of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital. Read:5 to die for killing college student in Rajshahi A team of CID conducted a drive at the house of Toton and detained him for interrogation, said special superintendent of police Abdul Jalil. Earlier, 17 files of the Health Ministry went missing from the ministry’s Health, Education and Family Welfare division on October 28.  The Health Ministry formed a three-member probe body in connection with the missing the files on October 30. Read: ‘Drug peddler’ held with 1.9 kg heroin in Rajshahi Shah Alam, additional secretary (administration) of Health, Education and Family Welfare division, was made the chief of the probe body, said Shahadat Hossain, additional secretary to Health, Education and Family Welfare division. A general diary was lodged with Shahabagh Police Station.

Bangladesh will receive 7.90 lakh more  doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Germany on Saturday. A cargo flight of Qatar Airlines carrying the vaccine doses will land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 5 pm on Saturday, said officials at the Health Ministry. Read:Bangladesh receives 2.70 lakh AstraZeneca doses from Bulgaria German Ambassador to Bangladesh Achim Troster and Senior Secretary of the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Lokman Hossain Miah will be present at the airport to receive the vaccine jabs.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque will attend a World Health Organization (WHO) bureau meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. He will leave Dhaka in the early hours of Tuesday from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on an Emirates flight. Additional Secretary of the Health Services Department Kazi Jebunnesa Begum, Private Secretary to the Minister of Health Kamrul Hasan, Deputy Secretary Md. Sadequl Islam and Health and Family Planning Officer of Tejgaon Health Complex in Dhaka Dr. Md. Mofizul Islam Bulbul will accompany the Minister. READ: Covid testing at Dhaka airport to begin on Saturday, says health minister After the WHO bureau meeting, the Minister will hold separate meetings with WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and member of the Global Fund Management Team and Coordinator of Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Ms. Gerda Verburg on issues related to coronavirus treatment, medicines, population and nutrition. READ: Vaccination of students aged 12-17 to begin within 20 days: Health Minister 

The High Court on Sunday ordered the health ministry to investigate the allegation over keeping 28 medical diagnostic equipment unused for long at 16 government hospitals. The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman passed the order after hearing a petition filed in the form of Public Interest Litigation.   Read: Private school, college, madrasa teachers can’t be suspended for above 6 months: HC The Health Services Division Secretary has been asked to execute the order and submit a report on it to the court.   The court also issued a rule seeking explanations as to why the negligence of the defendants for keeping those equipment unused for long should not be declared illegal. Twenty-one officials concerned, including the health secretary, the director general of DGHS, and the directors of 16 hospitals, have been asked to respond to the rule within four weeks.   On August 24, a report was published in a national daily saying 28 medical equipment remained unpacked at 16 government hospitals. Later, Manoj Kumar Bhowmik filed the writ petition with the High Court on August 26.   Read: HC orders verification of prisoners, accused through biometric systems In the report, 28 diagnostic devices including X-ray, ultrasonogram (USG) and ECG machines and ventilators are left packed in 16 government hospitals of the country. And some of those have already gone out of order while some more are about to get damaged. Thirteen X-ray machines, six ventilators, four ultrasonography machines, an ECG machines, a laparoscopy, a culture incubator, a hot air oven and an autoclave machine have been lying unpacked in various medical college hospitals, district hospitals and upazila health complexes.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Monday said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on coproduction of Sinopharm vaccine in Bangladesh is ready for signing and it should be done without any delay. “We’ve received it (MoU) and it’s with the Health Ministry. It should be done at any moment. I think the Health Ministry should dispose of it very quickly,” he told reporters. Dr Momen said the government of Bangladesh, Sinopharm and a local company (Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd) will sign the agreement. Also read: No Covid vaccine crisis in the country, says Quader He said Incepta will bring in bulk and bottling, labeling and finishing of the vaccine will be done locally making the price relatively very cheap.