Health Minister
7-day Covid vaccination campaign from Dec 1 marking Victory Day
The government will launch another special vaccination campaign against Covid-19, marking the country’s Victory Day, said the Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Tuesday.
The campaign will start from December 1 and end on December 7, he said in an event marking World Antibacterial Week at a city hotel.
Read more: COVID-19: US vaccine donations to Bangladesh exceed 100 million
Around 90 lakh people will be vaccinated under this campaign, he added.
“We have been successful in our previous campaigns. Hopefully this one will be successful too,” said the minister.
Read more: Campaign for 1st, 2nd doses of Covid vaccine to continue till Oct 8: DGHS
So far, 14.69 crore people have been vaccinated with the first dose while more than 12 crore people with the second dose against Covid-19, he added.
Tainted foods have flooded market, says health minister
Food adulteration has increased alarmingly across the country, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Tuesday.
"Almost all the foods we eat are adulterated", he said while addressing an opinion exchange meeting at the Directorate of Health Services in the capital's Mohakhali.
Basic food items, including rice, pulses, spices, fish and vegetables have toxic chemicals and other harmful additives, he said.
Read: Adequate measures taken for treatment of Dengue patients: Health Minister
As a result, ailments like cancer and Kidney diseases have doubled across the country.
"In developed countries, no compromises are made to poison food, no matter how powerful a company is. But adulterated food is being served everywhere in our country. So, where do people go? What will we eat? It won't be allowed anymore,” the minister warned.
"Creating awareness among people is a must to stop food adulteration. We’ve taken various steps in this regard,” the minister said.
"If we want to give a healthy life to our next generation, these adulterated businesses must be stopped now", he said.
Read: Misbehaving govt doctors drive patients for treatment abroad: Health Minister
"We are going to form some field level teams to prepare a specific report on this. Later, we will sit with the higher authorities and resolve it very soon,” the minister said.
Director General of the Department of Health Prof Dr ABM Khurshid Alam, Director (Administration) Prof Dr Md. Shamiul Islam Sadi and other Directorate of Health officials were present at the meeting.
Adequate measures taken for treatment of Dengue patients: Health Minister
The Health Ministry has taken adequate preparations for the treatment of the rising dengue patients, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday.
Around 500 beds out of 1000 beds in Dhaka's DNCC Hospital and 400 beds in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University’s (BSMMU)newly constructed field hospital have been prepared for dengue patients, said the minister.
He was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of a multi-purpose building on the occasion of the 59th birthday of Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of the Father of the Nation, at the city’s Sheikh Russell Gastro Liver Hospital and Institute.
“The Health Ministry has no role in deteriorating the dengue situation. The health sector can provide treatment, but killing mosquitoes is not the health ministry’s job,” he said.
With two more deaths from dengue confirmed on Wednesday, the official death toll from the disease rose to 120.
During this period, 923 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever as cases keep rising, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
A total of 3,380 dengue patients, including 2,207 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
Medicine stores to lose license if antibiotics sold without prescription: Health Minister
Medicine stores will not be allowed to sell antibiotics without prescriptions from physicians and if they do so, their licenses will be revoked, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said today.
“The government is going to enact a new law to prevent misuse of antibiotics, and if any drug store sells antibiotics without prescription, its license will be revoked,” he said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat.
Read: Policies must to stop misuse, overuse of antibiotics: Health Minister
Terming misuse of antibiotics a “silent killer”, he said that every year, 15 lakh people around the world die due to excessive consumption of antibiotics and Bangladesh is also seeing a rise in its negative effects.
Taking antibiotics without prescription has created negative impacts on public health, said the minister.
Read: BSMMU VC warns against excessive use of antibiotics
Besides, the presence of antibiotics was also found in fish and meat which is also a matter of grave concern, he added.
He also stressed the need to create public awareness about the excessive use of antibiotics.
First dose of Covid-19 vaccine won’t be administered after Oct 3: Health Minister
Almost 33 lakh people are yet to get the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, but the government has decided to stop administering the first dose by October 3, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said today.
“Nearly 33 lakh people did not receive their first jab yet while 94 lakh people did not receive their second shot of Covid-19 vaccine across the country,” he said while speaking at a workshop over Covid-19 vaccination for children, aged 5-11 years, held at a Dhaka hotel.
He also urged people, who have not taken their first Covid-19 vaccine dose yet, to take the shot as soon as possible.
Read: Covid-19 vaccine consignment for kids arrive in Dhaka
“After the month of October, there is a possibility of first and second doses of Covid-19 vaccine being out of stock. If some remain, those will be expired. So, those who did not receive first, second and booster doses, have been asked to take their respective jabs immediately,” said the health minister.
Currently, 2.5 lakh people are working to ensure Covid-19 vaccination and of them 60,000 are administering the vaccines, he said, adding already 30 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered across the country.
Talking about administering Covid-19 vaccine among children, Maleque said ten lakh children have received Covid-19 jabs and some 2.15 lakh children are waiting to receive the jabs.
Read: US donates additional 10mn Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses to Bangladesh
Health minister places icddr,b bill in Parliament
The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh Act, 2022 was placed in the Parliament on Tuesday in order to repeal the military regime ordinance over the icddr,b in line with a verdict of the higher court.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque placed the Bill and it was sent to the respective standing committee for further examination. The Committee was asked to submit its report within one month.
As per the Bill, the institution shall be an autonomous, international, philanthropic, and non-profit Centre for research, education and training as well as clinical service.
The headquarters of the Centre shall be at Dhaka. The Centre may establish its branches any place in the country subject to the approval of the respective governments.
The Bill said that there will be a board consists of 12-17 members. Of them four members will be nominated by the Government, a member nominated by the World Health Organisation, a member to be nominated by a United Nations agency, 5-10 members nominated by the Board and executive director of the Centre.
Read: Bill streamlining regulations for medical/dental colleges passes into law
At any given time, no country shall have more than two members except for Bangladesh.
All members will be appointed for three years and it can be extended for one time. No member can be appointed for more than six years.
The Centre shall be administered by a Director who shall be selected and appointed by the Board for a term of three years which may be renewable for another term.
The Centre shall have its own fund which shall consist of grants made by the Government, grants and contributions from other Governments and their agencies, international organisations and private organisations, gifts and endowments, sale proceeds and royalties of publications, income from research and contractual undertakings; and other sources.
All funds of the Centre shall be kept in any scheduled Bank or Banks in Bangladesh as approved by the Board.
The Centre shall be exempted from the labour laws in force in the country. It shall be governed by its own by-laws as may be prescribed.
The Centre shall not be liable to pay any tax, rate or duty other than those paid by any other person in respect of any movable or immovable property which the Centre purchases or otherwise acquires from such person and other than those payable in respect of public utilities like water, gas, electricity, telephone and municipal rates.
All non-Bangladeshi experts, technicians and research scholars employed by the Centre and working in Bangladesh for the furtherance of the objectives of the Centre shall be exempt from paying income tax.
More than two-thirds of births avoid C-section
The rate of normal birth delivery in the country is 69 percent, while the rate of cesarean delivery is 39 percent, Health Minister Zahid Maleque told parliament on Monday.
He said this replying to a scripted question from Jatiya Party's Rustum Ali Faraji MP.
The minister said an action plan titled “Promotion of Normal Vaginal Delivery, Prevention of Unnecessary Cesarean Section and Creating Awareness about Necessity and Justification of Cesarean Section" is under implementation” in order to increase the rate of normal delivery and reduce the caesarean section births.
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The action plan includes strengthening of regulatory framework, strengthening health management, capacity building of service providers through various trainings, and ensuring quality in and of delivery services.The posting of doctors at district and upazila levels, ensuring round-the-clock emergency and maternity services through providing necessary equipment, he said, in fact improving.
The minister said the action plan also includes strengthening of services and deputation of midwives at the district upazila level, campaign activities to ensure at least four antenatal services, through which pregnant mothers are informed about the positive aspects of normal delivery and unnecessary caesarean sections.
To ensure antenatal care for expectant mothers, house-to-house mother gatherings are being held with dignitaries of society routinely .
In addition, various monitoring activities are underway to increase social security programs and reduce caesarean section rates, the minister added.
Pharmacies in Dhaka to remain open all day: Health Minister
Pharmacies in Dhaka will remain open 24 hours a day, Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said.
“We do not give any instructions regarding the closure of the pharmacies by midnight. We are in talks with the city corporations on this. Anyway, pharmacies can remain open for 24 hours,” he told reporters, after a meeting at the Secretariat on Thursday.
Read:Hotels, restaurants to close by 10 pm: DSCC
Earlier on August 22, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) issued a notice allowing standalone pharmacies to remain open till 12am and those at hospitals till 2am to ration electricity.
Besides, the corporation asked malls, shops, kitchen markets and other business outlets in its areas to remain open till 8pm and restaurants and hotels till 10 pm. This order will be effective September 1.
Children aged 5-11 to get Covid jabs at schools: Minister
Children aged between 5 and 11 years (primary school students) will be vaccinated against Covid-19 at their respective educational institutions, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Monday.
"This vaccination program for children will be conducted in the city corporation areas. We will vaccinate the children at schools there," he told reporters after an event marking National Mourning Day at National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital in Mohakhali of the capital.
The minister said there are 2.20 crore children aged between 5 and 11 years. And all children including those who are homeless or out-of-school will be vaccinated.
The registration process is underway but those concerned have has been asked to complete soon. The Primary and Mass Education Ministry is working on these issues, he added.
The minister said steps will be taken after the ministry informs how many centers will be required for this vaccination programme.
Read: Children aged 5-11 get Covid jabs on trial basis
"All our doctors and nurses are now enough experienced and well trained. We did not face any untoward situation even in administering 30 crore vaccine doses. We are more careful about the children."
On August 11, Bangladesh started administering Covid-19 vaccine to children aged between 5-11 years on an experimental basis.
The full-fledged vaccination programme for children will start from August 25, said the Health Minister.
“We have already received about 30 lakh doses of vaccine. The US government has assured us to provide the rest of the vaccine through the COVAX facility,” he added.
The received vaccines will be administered among the children in a two months gap.
The Pfizer vaccine is specially developed for the children which was also approved by the Directorate General of Drug Administration, he added.
The United States recently donated over three million pediatric doses of Pfizer vaccines and committed to donating a total of over 40 million (4 crore) pediatric doses.
Rate of child mortality to decrease further by 2030: Health Minister
Health Minister Zahid Malik said the test run of administering Covid-19 vaccines among children aged 5-12 years has started in the country.
Children will be vaccinated in the city corporation areas from August 25 under the mass vaccination campaign, he said.
The vaccination campaign will be operated at all schools across the country in phases. However, none can take a vaccine without registration.
Zahid Malik revealed the information while visiting Manikganj General Hospital on Saturday.
The minister said the rate of child mortality in the country was 30-32 per 1000 live births.
Read: Bangladesh receives more doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from US
The rate of child mortality will be brought under control to achieve the targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The rate of child mortality in the country will decrease to 10-12 per 1000 live births within 2030, he asserted.
Higher officials of the ministry and officials of the Manikganj deputy commissioner’s office were present.
Later, a discussion was held at the hospital auditorium.