Covid Vaccination: Stay alert to anomalies

A parliamentary body yesterday directed the health ministry to ensure that no irregularities and corruption take place centring the Covid-19, like those of Regent Hospital and JKG healthcare over testing.

This was for the first time that the parliamentary standing committee on the health ministry sat in a meeting since March.

It also asked the ministry to coordinate with the civil aviation ministry and take measures to temporarily suspend air communication with the UK following the outbreak of a new strain of Covid-19 there.

Ruling Awami League MP Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, who is  the chairman of the parliamentary watchdog, presided over the meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

"In our last meeting held in March, we discussed many things on the preparation of Covid-19, procurement of masks and other health equipment for healthcare workers. But after the pandemic began, we saw that we lacked in preparations," Selim, also a presidium member of AL, said.

The committee also said they saw corruption and scandals centring facemasks and Covid-19 test.

Different quarters have already raised concerns over possible mismanagement and irregularities regarding vaccination.

The standing committee said the coronavirus vaccination programme should be under full control of the ministry and the vaccines will be given at government hospitals and upazila health complexes.

Selim asked the ministry to complete necessary measures to preserve the Covid-19 vaccine in advance, adding that the ministry should start training doctors on Covid-19 vaccination at the district and upazila level on vaccination.

He also said the vaccine cannot be given in the hands of the private sector.

"If anyone wants to import vaccines from abroad, they have to do so with the government's permission."

The government has already signed an agreement with Serum Institute of India and Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited to buy three crore doses of the Oxford vaccine.

The chairman of the committee also said they have asked the ministry to communicate with different vaccine producing countries and organisations so that Bangladesh can procure vaccines suitable for children under 18, as the existing vaccine is not applicable for them.

About the suspension of air communication with the UK, Selim said many countries, including India and countries close to the EU, have stopped air communication with the UK due to a new strain of Covid-19, said to be 70 percent more contagious.

"We have asked the ministry to immediately coordinate with the Civil Aviation Ministry to take measures… We can suspend the air communication primarily for one or two weeks and monitor the situation in the UK meanwhile," Selim added.

He said, "Earlier we have seen that Italy-returnee passengers, instead of staying in institutional quarantine, roamed around their areas and contributed to spread the Covid-19 in the country.

"There was also some negligence regarding keeping people in quarantine when the Covid-19 was first detected in the country."

State Minister for Civil Aviation Ministry M Mahbub Ali recently said the highest authority of the government, as well as different concerned ministries, are closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation in the UK, while the government is yet to take any decision on suspending air communication.