Govt transfers health services secretary

It comes after allegations of negligence in providing medical care to those injured during the July-August mass uprising

MA Akmal Hossain Azad, secretary of the health ministry's Health Services Division, has been removed following allegations of negligence in providing medical care to those injured during the July-August mass uprising.

In a notice issued on Wednesday, the Ministry of Public Administration announced that he has been transferred to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

As part of a reshuffle, Md Saidur Rahman, director general of the NGO Affairs Bureau, has been appointed as the secretary of the Health Services Division.

Azad, who previously served as the senior secretary of the railways ministry on a contractual basis, was appointed to the Health Services Division on Aug 20.

The health administration recently came under fire from protesters injured during the anti-government protests over the handling of their medical treatment and rehabilitation.

The situation came to a head on Nov 13 when a group of injured protesters confronted Health Advisor Nurjahan Begum at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation, or NITOR.

They subsequently staged a 15-hour sit-in outside NITOR, which ended after a late night meeting with four advisors of the interim government.

The next day, their representatives met with government officials at the Secretariat, where they received assurances that necessary steps would be taken, including holding those responsible for negligence accountable.