A special nationwide measles vaccination campaign will begin towards the end of this month, with the government ensuring an adequate supply of vaccines, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sarder Md Sakhawat Hossain said on Friday.
The minister made the announcement while speaking to journalists after inspecting Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital on Friday morning.
During the visit, Sakhawat Hossain highlighted recent developments and reform initiatives in the country’s healthcare sector, saying noticeable improvements had taken place since the current government took charge.
The minister said he had recently visited more than 25 hospitals across the country and observed significant improvements in healthcare services over the past six months. He also claimed that doctors’ attendance had reached 100 per cent at hospitals.
During his inspection of Osmani Medical College Hospital, the health minister reviewed the hospital’s overall management, drainage system and cleanliness. He directed the local administration and concerned authorities to resolve drainage and sanitation issues within seven days.
He also instructed authorities to ensure doctors’ timely attendance and proper duty rosters at the hospital within the next seven working days. The minister said construction and approved development projects for other government hospitals in Sylhet would be accelerated and launched soon.
Acknowledging challenges in the healthcare sector, Sakhawat Hossain said Bangladesh currently has only one doctor and one nurse for every 11,000 to 12,000 people. Despite the shortage, healthcare workers are providing services day and night, he said.
He added that the government was committed to eliminating irregularities from the sector and ensuring healthcare services reach people directly.
Regarding vaccination efforts, the minister said a special “mop-up” and intensified vaccination programme had already been launched for children who missed routine immunisation.
He said many children remain unvaccinated due to a lack of awareness and information, leaving them vulnerable to measles infection. He noted that previous vaccination campaigns had successfully provided Vitamin A capsules to around 2.4 crore (24 million) children and administered measles-rubella and other vaccines to a large number of children against a target of 1.85 crore (18.5 million).
However, some children were still left out and remained at risk, he added.
The health minister also warned against broker syndicates operating at public hospitals, accusing them of misleading patients and directing them towards private clinics.
Calling such exploitation of ordinary citizens a serious crime, he said a joint operation involving law enforcement agencies, including the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and National Security Intelligence (NSI), was underway to eliminate such networks.
He said many brokers had already been arrested during joint raids at several hospitals, including Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital.
Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Kaiyum Chowdhury, Sylhet Development Authority Chairman Rezaul Hasan Koyes Lodi and Sylhet Zila Parishad Chairman Abul Kaher Chowdhury Shamim were present during the visit.
Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital Director Brigadier General Umar Rashed Munir, Sylhet Medical University Vice-Chancellor Dr Zia Ur Rahman Chowdhury and other senior local officials also attended the programme.
