Health DG draws flak from parliamentary panel for missing meeting on COVID crisis

Director General of Health Services ABM Khurshid Alam has roused the ire of the parliamentary committee on the health ministry after failing to turn up to a meeting on pandemic-related matters.

The meeting on Sunday addressed a range of issues, including the purchase of vaccines by the health directorate during the coronavirus pandemic.

Alam could now face action from the health ministry due to his absence, according to members of the parliamentary committee.

"A lot of things were discussed in the meeting today but the DG was not in attendance. The committee's chairman has advised the health ministry to take action against Alam for his absence,” said a member of the committee, who asked not to be named.

"If no action is taken, the matter may be raised in parliament.”

Abdul Aziz, another committee member, also expressed anger over Alam's absence but deferred to the chairman of the committee for further comment.

However, the panel's chairman Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim did not respond to questions on the matter.

Alam was also not immediately available for comment.

The meeting, chaired by Sheikh Selim, was attended by Health Minister Zahid Maleque and several other lawmakers.

The discussions focussed on the spending on masks and kits since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, the steps that have been taken to address the vaccine crisis, the process by which vaccines are being procured as well as the current state of ICUs and oxygen supplies.