Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque has cautioned that the country’s health system wil collapse unless the infection rate can be brought under control.
He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the ICU and Outdoor Department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) at Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons in Mohakhali on Thursday.
Zahid Maleque said that discussion is going on to lower the age limit for vaccination at 18. To open schools and colleges, 18 years old students will be brought under the vaccination.
The Health Minister said, “Coronavirus infections and deaths have declined in northern and southern regions of the country. The benefits of the lockdown have started to show.”
“However, people in the villages are getting infected more for lack of awareness. They don’t want to come to hospitals at the beginning. At the ward level, public representatives have been advised to visit house to house to find patients,” he said.
The minister further said that instructions have been given to increase isolation beds in district and upazila level. Some 7,000 beds will be arranged.
Zahid Maleque said, “In the future, we will use national identity cards to register those living in the rural areas who cannot register for the vaccination.
There has already been talks of buying refrigerators at various hospitals to store the vaccines, the minister added.
