Sheikh Hasina praised globally over dealing with pandemic: Health minister
“Europe and America are being criticised all over the world. Even our neighbouring country India is struggling to tackle the pandemic,” said Zahid Maleque
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Monday said the world has been praising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for significantly lowering the death curve relating to the Covid-19 infection in a densely populated country like Bangladesh.
"Europe and America are being criticised all over the world. Even our neighbouring country India is struggling to tackle the pandemic," the minister told a media briefing after a post-Eid greeting exchange meeting in the secretariat in Dhaka.
He said the mortality rate owing to Covid-19 is now 1.31 percent in Bangladesh while the infection rate is also decreasing day by day.
Zahid Maleque further said infections may have rose "slightly" during the Eid-ul-Adha but the health sector now has the capability to deal with it.
Many countries are close to inventing Covid-19 vaccine whereas many others have reached the third phase. "Our government remains active so that we can get the vaccine first once it is invented."
Secretary of the Health Services Division Abdul Mannan, Secretary of the Health Education Division Ali Noor, Director General of the Directorate of Nursing and Midwifery Siddika Akhter, Director General of the Directorate of Health Education Prof Dr AHM Enayet Hossain and other senior officials were also present at the briefing.
Meanwhile, the health minister, at a relief distribution programme in Manikganj on Monday, said although the country has been affected by floods alongside the pandemic, not a single person has died for food till now.
The present government has been on the side of the flood victims, he added.
At the programme held at Garpara Shuvra Centre in sadar upazila, the health minister distributed Tk300 in cash and 10kg rice each among more than 100 flood-affected people.
At the programme, Manikganj Superintendent of Police Rifat Rahman Shamim, District Awami League Organising Secretary Sudeb Saha, District Volunteer Service League President Liaquat Ali, Sadar Upazila Parishad Chairman Israfil Hossain, Sadar Upazila Awami League General Secretary Afsar Uddin Sarkar, Municipal Awami League General Secretary Zahidur Rahman and others were present.
