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4 years ago

Government appoints new CMSD director after N95 mask scam

File photo (collected)
File photo (collected)

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The government has moved to appoint a new director to the Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD) which came under scanner for delivering ordinary masks mislabelled as N95 masks to government hospitals during the coronavirus crisis.

The public administration ministry announced the appointment of Additional Secretary Abu Hena Morshed Zaman as CMSD director in an order issued on Friday, reports bdnews24.com.

He will replace Brig Gen Md Shahidullah, who has been assigned to the Armed Forces Division.

The CMSD has been the subject of much scrutiny over its handling of mask supplies for medics battling the coronavirus on the frontlines.

The use of N95 masks is crucial while treating COVID-19 patients and testing samples, according to the health directorate’s personal protective equipment guidelines.

However, the masks CMSD delivered to different hospitals by the end of March were surgical ones, though the packets had the label of “N95”, creating confusion among the doctors.

The fiasco was later reported in the media and also drew the ire of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who ordered the Directorate General of Health Services and Central Medical Stores Depot to carefully monitor the supplies of protective equipment to hospitals.

The government subsequently launched an investigation into the matter while removing the director of Dhaka Mugda Medical College Hospital, Dr Shahid Md Sadiqul Islam, from active duty seven months before the end of his term.

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