Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday told Parliament that the government will establish a top class vaccine institute in Bangladesh. “The present government has a plan to set up an international standard vaccine institute to produce vaccines as well as formulate a vaccine guideline, aiming to tackle various viral diseases, including the coronavirus pandemic,” she said replying to a tabled question from Awami League MP Anwar Hossain Khan (Laxmipur-1). The Prime Minister said if a vaccine institute is set up in the country, it will ensure vaccine production, related research and help strengthen the capacity of local vaccine-producing firms. Read: South-South cooperation: Hasina for setting up ‘Knowledge Centre’ in Bangladesh The management of vaccine production, usage and standards will be a more time-befitting one, she said. The establishment of an institute will ease vaccine production in the country through technology transfer of newly developed vaccine. So, vaccine will be available at a cheaper rate in Bangladesh, said Hasina. It will open the door of attaining WHO-prequalification for the new vaccine, which will help expand foreign market for the vaccines to be produced in Bangladesh, she said.

As the government has planned to establish a vaccine institute, experts have appreciated it as a timely and bold move as they think Bangladesh has huge potential to grab the international vaccine market like medicines. They also said the local and international vaccine markets will continue to grow as vaccine safety is now becoming as important as food security with the emergence of various diseases, flues and viruses like Covid.  The analysts think an international standard vaccine institute will not only be a gamechanger for the country’s economy but also for its image and reputation building globally. Also read: International vaccine institute to be set up in Bangladesh: Hasina They said the government should focus on developing skilled human resources alongside setting up the institutes to run it effectively and produce quality vaccines as Bangladesh’s many public institutions fall apart only because of poor management and lack of efficient manpower.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the government is going to set up an international vaccine institute to produce vaccines, including the Covid-19 ones, in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina said this in Parliament while replying to a tabled question from Awami League MP Ahasanul Islam Titu (Tangail-6). Read: Bangladesh approves single-dose Janssen Covid-19 vaccine She said the government will sign an agreement with South Korea to set up the vaccine institute and the issues relating to ratification, accession and approval of the agreement by the Cabinet are under process. The Prime Minister said the government has taken an initiative to produce Covid-19 vaccines in the country alongside collection from foreign sources to check the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. Hasina said government-to government (G2G) negotiations are underway with the countries that have developed vaccines for transferring technology to this end. Read: Second consignment of Sinopharm vaccine arrives