Published : 05 Nov 2026, 04:04 PM
Updated : 05 Nov 2026, 04:04 PM
It is important for the Bangladeshi people to know why necessary vaccines were not imported, State Minister MA Muhit has said.
"We do not want to engage in a politics of blame, but the investigation committee, consisting of a judge and an expert doctor, is thoroughly examining the entire process so that no child's life is lost prematurely due to the negligence of those in charge," he said.
Questioning why the regular measles vaccination programme was suspended during the interim government and why emergency vaccines were not imported, the state minister said: "It is important for our countrymen to know who took such an irresponsible decision and why the necessary vaccines were not imported."
He made the remarks in response to questions from journalists after an event at the Shahbagh Super Specialised Hospital on Thursday afternoon.
Muhit said, "Just 15 days after taking office and being elected by the people, we witnessed an unprecedented outbreak of measles in the country. Investigations show that the then government did not conduct the national vaccination campaign that was supposed to be held in late 2024 or early 2025. No emergency stock was even kept in the ministry."
"Immediately after taking office, the government urgently procured vaccines from various domestic and foreign sources and brought the situation under control by vaccinating about 22 million children in just one to two months."
Before this, he had spoken as the chief guest at the stakeholder meeting of the five-year research project titled “Affordable Cardiac Rehabilitation: Integrated Strategic Promotion Research” at the conference hall of the Super Specialised Hospital.
Speaking at the event, the state minister said, "As a result of the progress of our health system, people are living longer than before, but with that, the incidence of non-communicable diseases is also increasing. According to the 2022 national survey, 21 percent of the total deaths in the country are due to heart-related complications.
“However, it has been proven in the developed world that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation significantly reduces the risk of subsequent heart attacks, reduces the rate of hospital readmissions and improves the quality of life of the patient."
Muhit mentioned that providing clinical treatment alone is not enough; it is necessary to include timely interventions for the mental health crisis, anxiety and depression that arise in patients after cardiac attacks—especially in people of working age—that were found in the study.
He said that the medical system must be affordable, easily accessible and compatible with local realities.
On research funding and the health budget, the state minister said researchers' work should extend beyond laboratories and academic journals to inform policies at the grassroots level.
The current government had prioritised public health and ensured the highest allocation for the health sector in the country's 54 years of independence, he said.
He added that the five-year research project would help build internationally recognised research capabilities among young researchers and provide Bangladesh with a sustainable direction for cardiac rehabilitation.
