Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury :
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare or the Ministry of Looters!
News on corruption of GK Shamim, Samrat, PK Halder, Rafiqul Amin of Destiny, Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank SK Sur Chowdhury and his wife and driver of the Health Department Abdul Malek along with the corruption news on different ministries of the government has become a hot topic of public discussion. Needless to say, the concerned authorities have been denying all these corruption allegations. They are calling the allegations a lie. Accused of corruption are living comfortably in the luxurious cabins of big government hospitals and keeping in touch with their families through internet facilities. The news has stopped here. Recently, information has been added about the corruption of the Prime Minister’s favorite Ashrayan project.
Massive corruption has been exposed in different departments and projects of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and it has also been discussed in the Parliament. The Daily Desh Rupantor published a lead news informing that RBC tube has been bought for the Sirajganj Shaheed M Monsur Ali Medical College with Tk one lakh and 35000, while its real price is Tk 300 only.
In response to the complaints of prominent citizens and opposition political leaders the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), a department of the Health Ministry, on July 9 in 2021, becoming self motivated disclosed some information mentioned below through a half-page advertisement that was published in the daily Prothom Alo, Bangladesh Pratidin and in few other newspapers under the headline “A Cordial Appeal”.
A) ‘One crore 1 lakh 50 thousand doses of vaccine have been purchased. A total of Tk 3,045 crore has been spent on a calculation that Tk 3000 (three thousand) was paid per dose.’
B) ‘Covid’ has been tested on 65 lakh 6 thousand 781 people. The total expenditure is Tk 1,952 crore as Tk 3,000 costs for every person.’
C) ‘One lakh Corona patients have been treated in the hospitals. A total of Tk 2 lakh has been spent for per patient in 10 days as Tk 20,000 (twenty thousand) needed per day. The expenditure in this sector so far is Tk 2,000 crore till now.’
D) One hundred Central Oxygen lines are being set up across the country. Total expenditure in this sector is Tk 350 crore.
E) Ninety seven labs are being set up at a cost of Tk 300 crore.
F) For the treatment of Corona, the Armed Forces Department, Dhaka North City Corporation and hotel rental expenditure amounted to Tk 200 crore.
1) So-called misappropriation of Tk 2 crore by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia Versus the “Cordial Appeal” of the Health Ministry
Former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment on charge of ‘Temporary embezzlement’ of Tk 2 crore of donations as that was not properly recorded. Although the entire money is still deposited in a bank account and it has actually increased to Tk 8 crore including its interest. It is necessary to analyze the information provided by the Health Department of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry keeping in mind the case of Begum Khaleda Zia.
2) The proposed selling price of per dose Russian Sputnik-V vaccine is 8 (eight) dollar or Tk 850; but the government is buying from elsewhere per dose at Tk 3000. Is it not an embezzlement or waste of money?
The government has spent Tk 3,045 crore on the purchase of 1 crore 1 lakh and 50 thousand doses of corona vaccine. However, the government has bought 70 lakh doses of vaccine from the Seram Institute of India at a rate of 5 dollar (Tk 425) per dose. Excluding the 70 lakh doses of vaccine purchased from the Serum Institute, the remaining 31.5 lakh doses have been purchased with Tk 2747.50 crore, which means Tk 8722 (102 dollar) has been spent per dose of vaccine.
It is noted that the government has been get millions of additional doses of the vaccine as gift from India, China and under Covax.
In June 2021, a Russian company approved by the Russian direct investment fund (RDIF) offered to deliver 2 crore doses of Sputnik-V corona vaccine at the rate of 8 (eight) dollar per dose. The company also proposed that they would deliver the vaccines to Dhaka Shahjalal International Airport within 10 days after the work order or they would send 5 lakh doses per day. The price of Chinese antidote vaccine is 10 (ten) dollars per dose. Sputnik-V antidote costs 8 dollar per dose. Bangladesh government could save 4 crore dollar or Tk 340 crore if they purchased the Sputnik-V vaccine.
3) The government has spent Tk 1952 crore on Covid tests, it means cost per test is Tk 3000. What is the real costing?
It costs Tk 700 for chemicals and Tk 300 for consumables of per RT-PCR test. And additional Tk 500 needed for salary, allowance, electricity, house rent and other purposes. Tk 1300 has been wasted or embezzled in each test, which means Tk 845 crore and 88 lakh has been wasted or embezzled in 65 lakh 6781 tests.
It is now the responsibility of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to find out and be confirmed how much money has been embezzled, who embezzled the money and in this case, what is the responsibility of the minister, secretary and director general of the department? Is the Prime Minister’s Office aware of the matter?
If Begum Khaleda Zia is sentenced to 7 years imprisonment on charge of ‘temporary embezzlement’ of Tk 2 crore, then calculate how many years imprisonment might be given to the persons concerned for actual embezzlement and waste of the public money. DG, Secretary, Minister, Prime Minister, please be careful and be aware about the future consequences. Even dead snail can injure your leg.
(Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury is founder and trustee, Gonoshasthaya Kendra).
—To Be Countinued.
