Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain has said the government has allocated an additional amount of Taka 604 crore for the procurement of vaccines to tackle the recent prevalence of measles.

“No measles vaccination campaigns had been carried out by any government over the past eight years that contributed to the current surge in infections,” he said while inaugurating the 17th Asia Pharma Expo at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in Purbachal today.

The minister said measles cases have increased in many parts of the country over the past 15 days. However, he assured that the government has the capacity to manage the situation, with patients receiving treatment at infectious disease hospitals. A dedicated measles corner has also been set up at the DNCC Hospital.

The minister added that five ventilators have been arranged through private donations of which four will be sent to Rajshahi tomorrow.

Reaffirming the government’s stance, Sakhawat Hossain said no irregularities or corruption in the health sector will be tolerated. He emphasized on the need for taking collective efforts to address the existing challenges and ensure quality healthcare services for the people.

Health Secretary Kamruzzaman Chowdhury said that the expo is not merely an exhibition but a process to advance Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industry. 

He noted that after independence, the country could meet only 20 percent of its domestic demand for medicines, with the remaining 80 percent relying on imports. At present, around 98 percent of the country’s demand is met through local production and Bangladesh exporting medicines to 157 countries of the world.

President of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries Abdul Muktadir said the country exports around US$300 million worth of medicines globally and is playing a significant role in the global pharmaceutical sector. 

He stressed the need for policy support to further advance the industry including progress in API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) production.
He added that Bangladesh aims to compete with countries like India and China in the pharmaceutical sector, though ongoing global conflicts have posed some challenges. 

Despite this, the country is providing medicines at comparatively lower price than the neighboring countries, he added.

The three-day expo featured participation from over 400 companies from more than 20 countries including Denmark, Thailand, USA, UK, Italy, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Ireland and India.