Health Minister
Health Minister criticizes BNP for not wearing mask at hunger strike
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday criticized BNP for not following health rules at their mass hunger strike programme demanding Khaleda Zia’s treatment abroad.
“They always criticize government actions but they themselves didn’t wear masks nor maintained social distance,” said Zahid Maleque in a programme held at a city hotel.
On Saturday, the minister mentioned, Bangladesh saw the long-awaited day of zero Covid-linked death, and said this has been possible with everyone's cooperation.
Read: BNP starts hunger strike seeking Khaleda’s treatment abroad
“A political programme attended by thousands of people without wearing masks, including leaders, members of the party, may trigger Covid infections,” he said.
Minister Maleque said two things are clear from this: that the Covid situation has been so efficiently handled by the government that they did not feel the necessity of wearing masks.
Read: Police foil BNP's hunger strike prog in Khulna
“Another point is they criticize the government but they are the ones who don't maintain the health guidelines, and that’s the matter of concern,” he said.
The minister urged journalists to highlight the importance of maintaining health guidelines at religious and social programmes.
7.5 crore people to be fully vaccinated by Jan: Health Minister
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday said the government will administer 6 crore more Covid-19 vaccine doses by January next across the country.
“So far, 9 crore vaccine doses have been administered and the government aims to administer 6 crore more doses by January next,” he said.
With the administering of 6 crore more vaccine doses, some 7.5 crore people of the country will fully be vaccinated, Zahid Maleque added.
Also read: Covid vaccines to be administered in all schools to vaccinate students
The minister said this at the inauguration programme of Bangabandhu Gold Cup Premier Division District Football League at Shaheed Miraj Tapan Stadium in Manikganj district town.
Covid jabs for city’s slum dwellers start on Tuesday: Health Minister
In expanding the Covid-19 vaccination programme the government will start giving the jabs to the city’s slum dwellers from Tuesday, Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said.
The drive will start from Korail slum, home of about three lakh people, the minister told a programme at Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons in city’s Mohakhali on Monday.
Read: Bangladesh can produce Covid vaccine, let us do it: PM
Zahid said that even though Bangladesh has been able to bring the Covid fatality rate under control, the rate of infections is still increasing. “We want to bring the deaths and cases to zero level,” he said.
He said already 5 crore people have received the first dose of vaccine while 3 crore people have been fully vaccinated. Some 15 lakh people are taking the Covid jabs daily on average and the government has a plan to jab 3 crore people this month.
12 crore vaccine doses to be administered by January: Health Minister
Bangladesh will administer at least 12 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines by next January, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday.
The minister said "There is no shortage of vaccines in the country. There are over one crore vaccines in stock. All the people of the country can be vaccinated as per the instructions of the prime minister."
The minister made this remark while inaugurating DBL Pharmaceuticals at Gazipur on Sunday.
READ: DU to collaborate with AFC Biotech to develop Covid-19 vaccine
Zahid said the government has bought 21 crore doses of vaccine. From there, at least three crore doses of vaccine will arrive this month. Same number of doses are expected to next month.
At least seven crore doses of the vaccine have already been administered. If this continues, it will be possible to administer at least 12 crore doses of vaccine by January next year. "If that is done, it will be possible to reduce the death rate from Covid-19 to zero," said the minister.
The minister also claimed there has been no shortage of medicines throughout the Covid-19 pandemic across the country. These medicines were also sufficiently available at the village level.
Bangladesh also exports medicines after meeting 98 per cent of the domestic demand, the minister added.
"Pharmaceuticals are going to be one of the biggest sources of foreign exchange in the country, after the RMG sector. However, we are going to form a new drug policy to ensure that there are no adulterated drugs in the country," said the minister.
He further said no one will be able to increase the drug price in the country's market unnecessarily because of the new policy.
READ: No shortage of vaccines in Bangladesh: FM
The minister also visited different parts of the drug company on the inaugural event accompanied by the member of the Parliament Dr Habib E Millat, Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) Maj Gen Mahbubur Rahman and DBL Pharmaceuticals Chairman Abdul Wahed.
Missing files: Health Minister calls it “unexpected”
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.
50% of vaccination target can be met by December: Health Minister
Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Wednesday that 50 per cent of the vaccination target can be achieved by December this year as Covid-19 jabs are arriving in the country as planned.
"We have already proven that it is possible to give 80 lakh doses of vaccine in a day if the health sector wants. So from now on, if three crore doses of vaccine arrive in the country every month as per the demand, we will be able to give them to the people," said the minister.
The minister stated this at a meeting on healthcare and development issues of the country organised by UHFPO, an organisation of Upazila Health Officers, at Hotel Intercontinental in the capital.
The minister said the country has also started inoculating school-going students between the ages of 12 and18 and gradually all the people of the country will be vaccinated.
The minister said even though Bangladesh itself has not produced any vaccine yet, the country now has almost all types of vaccines produced in the world.
Read: Japan to provide more vaccine doses through COVAX in Nov
"From now on, at least three crore doses of vaccine will come to the country every month," Zahid said. He also mentioned that the shipment of Chinese Sinopharm vaccines continues as per the agreement.
More vaccines have begun to arrive as per the agreement through the World Health Organization. Serum Institute of India has also started the export of Covishield vaccine.
Other vaccines including Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca under the COVAX facility have started to arrive in the country.
Referring to the opposition's criticism of the country's health sector, the health minister said that his ministry successfully dealt with dengue along with combating Covid-19. This has been appreciated internationally.
Besides, Bangladesh has ranked 26th in the world in tackling Covid pandemic in a recent survey conducted by Nippon in Japan, including Bloomberg and the World Health Organization, he said.
Prof ABM Khurshid Alam, Director General of Department of Health, Ebadul Karim MP, Managing Director of Beacon Pharmaceuticals, and Lokman Hossain Mia, Senior Secretary of Department of Health Services, were present among others at the meeting.
70-80% people to be vaccinated by March next: Minister
The government has geared up its nationwide vaccination drive to inoculate 70-80 percent people by March next, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday.
“So far, 5 crore people have been vaccinated as the countrywide campaign is underway. Fifty percent people will be given the jabs by December and 70-80 percent by March next. We’ve already procured necessary vaccine jabs,” the minister said.
Zahid Maleque also announced a programme to bring children between 12-17 years of age under the vaccination programme soon.
Also read: Covid: Dhaka advocates an equal shot at recovery
He was speaking at a progamme arranged by district Puja Celebration Council in Sadar upazila, marking Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community.
He urged the Hindu community to celebrate the festival maintaining health protocols.
Bangladesh opens its first one-stop TB service centre
Health Minister Zahid Maleque, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Mission Director Randy Ali on Tuesday inaugurated the country’s first one-stop tuberculosis (TB) service centre in the city.
US investment helped transform Shyamoli TB hospital into state-of-the-art health facility to test, diagnose and treat all forms of tuberculosis (TB) under one roof.
With USAID support, the National TB Programme will open four more one-stop TB service centers across the country in the next several years.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s National TB Programme has transformed the 250-bed TB hospital in Shyamoli into the premier centre to treat TB by equipping the facility with state-of-the-art testing and laboratory equipment.
USAID’s Alliance for Combating TB project also trained a specialized pool of doctors to detect and diagnose the disease—especially multi-drug-resistant TB, and to provide safe and effective treatment for all forms of TB to patients on site.
As a result, TB patients no longer need referrals to travel to another facility and are able to begin treatment regimens quickly and more easily following their diagnosis—improving their chances of beating the disease.
“We’re pleased to open the doors to this impressive one-stop TB centre and help protect the lives of many who’re fighting this disease,” said Miller.
He said this is part of their shared vision between the United States and Bangladesh in helping people across this country strive for healthier and more prosperous lives for themselves and their families.
“Improving access to critical testing and treatment services for all forms of TB—especially multi-drug-resistant strains of the disease—will help Bangladesh cure many more people through timely treatment while preventing new infections,” said USAID Deputy Mission Director Randy Ali.
Over the past 10 years, the United States has invested more than $100 million to advance tuberculosis control efforts in Bangladesh and donated 72 GeneXpert rapid TB testing machines to increase detection and treatment rates, and put positive cases under immediate treatment.
Through USAID, the US government has provided more than $8 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh since its independence, said the US Embassy in Bangladesh.
Vaccination of students aged 12-17 to begin within 20 days: Health Minister
Vaccination of students aged between 12 to 17 years will begin within the next 20 days, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday.
The minister announced this at a meeting at Manikganj municipality office premises.
“I had a conversation with the Prime Minister today in this regard. According to her decision, various activities will begin from the next week to vaccinate the children against Covid-19,” said the minister.
The children will be inoculated with US-made Pfizer vaccine doses as it is suitable for them, he said adding that all arrangements have been made to collect the vaccine doses.
Also read: University students must complete vaccine registration by Sept 27: Dipu Moni
As schools and colleges have already been reopened bringing the children under vaccination coverage is necessary for their safety, he added.
The minister also said in the next campaign more than one crore people will get shots.
Already 2.5 crore people have received the shots with 1.5 crore inoculated with two doses, said Zahid Maleque.
Opposition MPs slam mismanagement, politics in health sector
Opposition MPs on Wednesday sharply criticised the government for mismanagement in the health sector, particularly politics by physicians and high fees in private hospitals.
They came up with their harsh remarks while taking part in discussions on the Medical Colleges (Governing Bodies) (Repeal) Bill 2021 in Parliament.
In response to their criticisms of doctors for their involvement in politics, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said all citizens have the right to do politics.
Joining the discussions, Jatiya Party MP Kazi Firoz Rashid (Dhaka-6) said BNP had formed DAB (Doctors’ Association of Bangladesh) and Awami League, coming in power, formed Swachip (Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad).
“We would have been happy had he (Health Minister) incorporated a provision in this bill that the doctors and scientists wouldn’t be allowed to do politics, but he didn’t,” Firoz Rashid said.
He said if the physicians do politics, what would be the job of politicians! “Meritorious students study medical courses. But get deprived of medical services if they do politics,” said Firoz.
BNP MP Harunur Rashid (Chapainawabganj-3) said the health system is still in a sorry state even after the 50 years of the country’s independence. “Now those who’re working in government hospitals are also doing business in private hospitals.”
He said so many private medical colleges were established. “Do the colleges meet the standards? How many students of the colleges can qualify BCS exams?” he said.
Read: Health sector officials and staff directed to refrain from divulging info