A severe shortage of ten types of life-saving vaccines, including measles, has hit the country, raising concern among health authorities.
Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, secretary of the Health Services Division under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare disclosed the information on Tuesday after visiting Rajshahi Medical College (RMCH) Hospital.
He said “The government has already paid Tk604 crore to UNICEF to address the crisis.”
Officials said the vaccines will arrive soon, after which nationwide immunisation will begin immediately.
He added “Authorities have identified measles hotspots across the country and have taken special measures to boost immunity among children in those areas.”
“During the ongoing measles situation, efforts are underway to ensure specialised treatment for infected children and proper care for other paediatric patients through coordination with several hospitals, including the National Heart Foundation” he farther noted.
The secretary added that three high-level experts have begun working closely to determine whether any new variant of measles is affecting children.
To improve healthcare services in Rajshahi, he announced that the newly built 200-bed specialised hospital in the city will be made operational as soon as possible. He also said effective steps will be taken to address the existing manpower shortage at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH).
Earlier Tuesday, at around 11:30am, Secretary Kamruzzaman Chowdhury and Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Prabhat Chandra Biswas handed over three new ventilators to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of RMCH.
They also held a meeting with department heads and inspected the overall activities of the hospital.
It may be noted that Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain recently expressed deep dissatisfaction over alleged negligence by hospital authorities following the deaths of children due to a shortage of ICU ventilators at RMCH.
Following his directive, senior health officials visited the hospital on Tuesday.
