No measles vaccines were imported during interim government: Prime Minister
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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday indicated that the previous interim government is responsible for the vaccine shortage in the country.
He said that during the tenure of the interim government, measles vaccines for children were not imported from abroad, which he described as “extremely unfortunate.”
The prime minister disclosed this information while responding to a supplementary question in the National Parliament. The session was presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.
He said, his government has procured vaccines in the shortest possible time with the assistance of UNICEF and has set a target to vaccinate 20 million children.
Replying to a question from Gazipur-4 Member of Parliament Salahuddin, Rahman said it was unfortunate that the interim government— which had been supported to ensure a free and fair election— failed to import measles vaccines for children over the past few years.
“Naturally, when this problem arose, UNICEF helped Bangladesh significantly. They quickly sent vaccines. We are going to vaccinate nearly 20 million children against measles,” he said.
The prime minister added that many vaccine kits have already arrived in the country, and steps are being taken to quickly clear those held at customs and airports. Noting that each kit can be used to conduct three tests, he said the government is trying to manage the situation swiftly. He described the deaths of children due to measles as deeply painful.
Earlier, in response to another question, the prime minister outlined a major healthcare initiative. He said that around 200 unused multi-storey buildings under the Local Government (LGRD) Ministry are being handed over to the Ministry of Health.
He said the process of transferring these buildings would be completed within this month, and within the next two months, they would be converted into facilities suitable for healthcare services, including small maternity clinics and treatment centres for women and children.