Bangladesh appoints Khurshid Alam, a professor of surgery, as DG of health services

The government has appointed Abul Bashar Md Khurshid Alam, a professor of surgery at Dhaka Medical College as the director general of health services, replacing Abul Kalam Azad.

The Health Services Division announced the appointment of Alam, hours after terminating a contract with Azad on Thursday.

The changes come as the DGHS is struggling to regain public trust amid a series of scams related to COVID-19 tests.

Alam, who is also the general secretary of Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons, now has the daunting task to play a key role in the much-expected overhaul of the country’s health care system as the head of the key government agency in the coronavirus battle.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday said the government would form a taskforce to monitor irregularities in the health sector.

Azad was the latest casualty since the episode of fake COVID-19 tests unravelled. Earlier, the government replaced Asahadul Islam with Abdul Mannan as the health services secretary amid questions over the handling of a scam involving masks for government hospitals during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Alam passed MBBS from Sir Salimullah Medical College. Before becoming the chairman of the DMC’s surgery department, he had headed the same department at Cumilla Medical College. He had also worked at Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College.