Health Minister
Health Minister receives India’s gift of 109 cardiac ambulances
Health Minister Zahid Maleque received a gift of 109 cardiac ambulances from India to fight the Covid-19 pandemic Monday.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami handed over the ambulance keys to the Minister at the Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD) of the Directorate General of Health Services.
The Health Minister said, “In this trying time of Covid-19 India has once again marked its friendship toward Bangladesh with the ambulance gift from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
“These ambulances will contribute to increasing the capacity of the hospitals across the country,” he added.
READ: 40 ambulances arrive in Bangladesh
Moreover, the country's Hospital Service Management bought 21 ambulances and 60 more were bought under the Upazila Health Care Operation Plan.
Minister Maleque handed over the ambulances to the directors and representatives of the country’s remote area hospitals and also to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, National Heart Disease Hospital, and Dhaka North City Covid-dedicated hospital.
READ: India sends 40 more ambulances to Bangladesh
Students below 18 to be vaccinated, says Health Minister
With all eyes on its efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh is going to vaccinate students below 18 with Pfizer and Moderna jabs.
“Any vaccine dose can be administered to students over 18 but those who’re below 18 can be vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna jabs following the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) directives as per the availability of vaccine doses,” said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday.
The minister revealed the information while talking to reporters after visiting comprehensive examination centres under Nursing and Midwifery Course at Tejgaon Government Girls College in the city on Saturday.
“An inter-ministerial meeting will be held on Sunday. The meeting is expected to decide whether the school students will be vaccinated against Covid-19,” he said.
Zahid Maleque went on saying, “We think that the students over 18 can receive any vaccine but in the case of those who’re above 12, we’ve to follow the other countries like the US and the UK where students are given Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.”
Also read: Schools, colleges asked to prepare for reopening, guidelines issued
About 80 % teachers and students involved in medical treatment have been brought under vaccination campaigns, the minister added.
Those who are receiving their first jabs will get their second ones from September 7, and people have been asked to go to their respective vaccination centres to take their shots, he said.
Besides, orders have been placed to collect 16.5 crore doses of vaccines. Of these, 6.5 crore will come from China while the remaining ones will come from the WHO, he said, adding, “The doses will likely arrive in the country within January next.”
Zahid said steps are underway to recruit more nurses, and their numbers will be three times higher than the physicians working in the health sector.
Also read: Covid surge in Bangladesh: Primary schools to remain shut until Aug 31
“Alongside the physicians, nurses are performing their duties with sincerity and we’re trying to recruit more nurses to solve the manpower crisis,” he said.
Bangladesh ready to reopen schools
Primary, secondary and higher secondary educational institutions in the country will reopen on September 12 following a prolonged closure, said Education Minister Dipu Moni on Friday.
“The decision was taken at a joint meeting of the Education Ministry, Ministry of Primary and Mass education and the National Technical Advisory Committee held on Thursday night,” she said at a function in Chandpur sadar upazila.
Govt plans to provide Covid jabs to two crore people by September
The government aims at vaccinating two crore people against Covid by next month, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Tuesday.
The minister said this at a virtual programme on the occasion of the National Mourning Day, held at Manikganj Government Boys High School ground in Manikganj district.
“We have tried our best to keep people well during the pandemic,” he said.
READ: Vaccine sharing: Dhaka wants EU to be more generous
Govt inks Tk 10.5-crore vaccine deal with WHO: Health Minister
The government signed a new vaccine procurement deal of Tk 10.5 crore with the World Health Organization(WHO) in an effort to ensure Covid-19 vaccine for all, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday.
The minister was speaking at a programme organised by sadar upazila Jubo League in Manikganj to observe the National Mourning marking August 15 massacre.
In another virtual program on Sunday, the minister said that doctors are doing their duties properly during the Covid situation and his ministry is just assisting them.
READ: Vaccine sharing: Dhaka wants EU to be more generous
“Even in this situation the country’s growth rate is within 6 which means Covid situation here is still under our control”, said the minister.
Many developed countries have failed in controlling the Covid crisis as people died on roads but Bangladesh didn’t face that scenario, he said.
READ: Bangladesh to receive 10 lakh Pfizer vaccine jabs on Aug 30: Minister
He said educational institutions will be reopened soon after all students and teachers get Covid jabs.
No more mass Covid vaccination drive as supply is low, says health minister
Bangladesh will not conduct any new mass Covid inoculation drive as the supply of vaccine doses is much lower than the demand, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Monday.
“No more mass inoculation drives will be held in the country now as we do not have adequate vaccines in hand and we’ll not use the word ‘mass’ in future,” he told reporters at the Secretariat.
“We will call people to take jabs whenever we have vaccines in our hand,” he said.
“Those who will get SMS will go to the centres and we do not want to see any no long queues in front of vaccination centres,” said the minister.
READ: No alternative to mass vaccination of apparel workers: BGMEA
Some eight crore people or more can be brought under Covid vaccination within next January and February if the vaccines are available, he hoped.
“A total of 60 lakh doses of Pfizer vaccine will arrive within September in the country and some will arrive this month,” he said adding “We have done a lot of work with vaccines in the past 15 days and many orders have been placed.”
A total of 7.5 crore doses of vaccine has been ordered from China. Besides, we have also got offers from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and we have procured those. I think there will be no scarcity of vaccines,” said Zahid.
“If we get the 16 crore doses of vaccine, we will be able to bring eight crore people under the vaccination programme which will arrive within December,” he said.
“There is a directive to vaccinate workers and we are giving Covid jabs to front liners. All the factory workers will be vaccinated in phases as we want all citizens to get Covid jabs and be safe. The mortality rate among those who received the jabs is less,” he added.
READ: Mass vaccination only solution to Covid crisis: GM Quader
“Now the process to get second doses is underway and we are giving the second dose one month after receiving first dose and the prime minister has already asked to reduce the gap between the two doses and we are thinking to reduce it within 15-20 days,” said the minister.
The minister also urged the country's people to follow health guidelines.
Maintain health protocols to beat Covid: Health Minister
Maintaining health guidelines, taking vaccine shots and wearing masks are now the only means to prevent the Covid-19 spread in Bangladesh as all the restrictions have been lifted fully, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday.
The minister said this while attending a seminar on the 46th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the National Mourning Day in the city.
The restrictions imposed for containing the transmission have been lifted in order to save people’s lives and livelihoods, said minister Maleque.
Also read: 54 lakh more vaccine doses to arrive by Aug 15: Minister
Bangladesh to procure 6 crore Sinopharm vaccine doses: Minister
The government will procure six crore more doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China to ramp up the inoculation drive across Bangladesh, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday.
“We’ve signed a deal with China to receive 1.5 crore doses of Sinopharm vaccine. China has already started sending the vaccine doses. We’ll sign another agreement to collect six core more doses as the prime minister has approved it,” he said.
The health minister came up with the disclosure while inaugurating a covid field hospital at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).
Also read: Mega Covid inoculation drive begins in Bangladesh
“Of the seven crore doses of Sinopharm vaccine, two crore doses will arrive in October and November each while some more vaccine jabs will come before the two months though those will be less in quantity,” he said.
Looking for hotels for Covid patients as hospitals struggle: Minister
The government is going to rent hotels for providing treatment to Covid patients with mild complications as hospitals are under an unprecedented crisis with huge patients, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Tuesday.
“Already 90 percent of the seats in hospitals have been packed. And 95% ICU beds are also occupied. We’re preparing a field hospital at Bangabandhu Medical University where we can immediately arrange 500-600 beds,” he said.
The minister said, “Everyone infected with corona needs not to be hospitalised. So, we’re thinking of renting hotels for dealing with the patients who’ve mild complications. We’ll have doctors, nurses, medicines, and some oxygen in those hotels.”
He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting at the Secretariat with Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque in the chair.
Read: Bangladesh’s Covid nightmare: 235 more die, 15,776 infected
Maleque said they have started looking for hotels as they will no longer be able to accommodate the growing number of patients in hospitals. “If we can give treatment to the Covid patients with mild infections at hotels, they’ll be able to go back home after recovery from there, and it will help reduce the pressure on the hospitals. So, we’ve taken this step.”
Preparations underway to vaccinate 1 crore people by next week: Minister
Preparations are going on to vaccinate 1 crore people of the country against Covid-19 within the next week, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday.
The minister said this while attending the inauguration ceremony of the 1st year MBBS class at BCPS auditorium in the capital.
The health minister said the return of factory workers to their workplaces without maintaining the health protocols in one day’s notice might worsen the Covid situation.
As Covid infections keep rising in the country, he urged all to abide by health guidelines unfailingly.
A mass vaccination will start at the union level on August 7 and elderly people who do not have NID cards will be able to get vaccinated, said Maleque.
READ: Govt to vaccinate Rohingyas gradually starting with above-55s: Foreign Secretary
“We’re planning to bring pregnant women under the vaccination progamme, '' he added.
Vaccination with Astrazeneca jabs in Bangladesh to resume within days
Bangladesh will resume vaccination with Astrazeneca shots within the next few days, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque.
“We’ll resume vaccination with Astrazeneca jabs within the next 2-1 days. Those who failed to take the second dose after getting the first one will be able to get it now,” he said.
The minister said this while speaking to reporters at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after receiving the second consignment of AstraZeneca vaccine doses from Japan.
He said the government currently has a stock of more than 10 lakh doses of Astrazeneca vaccine.
Read: Covid kills 218 more in Bangladesh as its catastrophe continues
“We’ll get 6 lakh doses more of the vaccine on Aug 3,” Zahid added.