Minister for stern action against messed up DGHS wings

Health minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday said that the Directorate General of Health Services wings, which faced criticism during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, would be inspected and stern action would be taken against the officials.

The minister made the comment replying to a query if the director for hospital wing Aminul Hassan would be removed from his post amid criticism over his role during the crisis. 

The minister was talking to reporters at the secretariat a day after the resignation of  DGHS director general Abul Kalam Azad.

Azad submitted his resignation to the public administration ministry on Tuesday amid widespread criticism over corruption in the health sector.

Zahid said that the process of appointing a new DG would be taken after the public administration ministry processed the file of Azad’s resignation and sent to it to the health ministry.

He, however, avoided answering a question on whether he would resign in the situation.

The minister said that the formation of a ‘strong taskforce’ to monitor irregularities in the health sector was on the process.

The health sector faced widespread criticism over massive irregularities, exposed one after another during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The health ministry and the DHGS were trading blame recently as the law enforcement agencies uncovered COVID-19 test certificate forgeries at several private hospitals under the nose of the health administration.

Several other scams involving the health sector were also exposed of late, including N95 mask scams, controversial deals with Regent Hospital and non-profit JKG Health Care, which were accused of selling fake COVID-19 certificates and running the facilities without a licence.

Azad on July 12 said that the deal with Regent Hospital was done upon instructions from the health ministry high-ups, generating an apparent discord between the ministry and the DGHS over the responsibility of the irregularities.

The ministry on July 13 asked Azad to explain the comment of ‘instructions from ministry high-ups’.

In his reply to the ministry, Azad said that the agreement with Regent Hospital was signed upon the verbal instruction from the then health secretary Asadul Islam.

‘I didn’t tell lies,’ he told reporters as he came out of the health ministry after submitting his written reply over the remarks that the ministry high-ups instructed to sign the deal with Regent Hospital.

Health secretary Abdul Mannan said that Azad was asked to submit proof for his comment of instruction from the ministry high-ups for the Regent deal.

Health minister Zahid, secretary Asadul and several secretaries were present at the deal signing event with Regent Hospital.

The hospital is owned by now detained Md Shahed, who boasts dozens of pictures with top government officials and ruling Awami League senior leaders.

Azad, who also got infected with COVID-19 and recovered, drew ire from the government ministers and general people alike last month after insisting that the coronavirus might stay in the country for the next few years.

He later regretted his comment.

Azad, a biomedical professor and a graduate from Dhaka Medical College, was appointed the DG in August 2016.

His term expired in 2019 but he received a two-year extension.

The country’s health data management was streamlined when he took charge as the director of management information system wing of the DGHS before he was promoted to the additional director general of the directorate.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net