Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh has sought the support of the Oxford Group at the University of Oxford to establish a vaccine centre here in the country (Bangladesh).
Health Minister Dr. Samanta Lal Sen has sought support from the University of Oxford’s vaccine group during his recent visit to the United Kingdom.
The health minister visited the university where the AstraZeneca vaccine was developed during the COVID pandemic.
The minister met with the Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard F. MedSci, and discussed opportunities for establishing cooperation to create a National Vaccine Project in Bangladesh for producing vaccines in the country.
The Bangladesh High Commission in London on Saturday informed the media.
Samanta Lal underlined the Bangladesh government’s vision under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to provide high-quality health services for all of its citizens.
The minister also pointed out that her government aims to establish a vaccine centre in Bangladesh to produce jabs.
During the meeting, Sir Andrew Pollard assured the health minister of all cooperation in developing vaccines in Bangladesh.
Health Minister Dr. Sen was in the UK on an official visit to attend the Conference on ‘International Response to Antimicrobial Resistance,’ organised by the UK Government and the Royal Society.
The health minister visited the drug discovery unit at Oxford University, where he met with senior researchers and officials.
They discussed the potential for establishing a laboratory in Bangladesh for large-scale industrial production of vaccines to strengthen preventive measures for all diseases.
They also focused on collaborating to provide training to scientists, doctors, and health professionals between the two countries.
The Health Minister met with Professor Sir David Warrell, a leading figure in tropical medicine and the founding director of the Centre for Tropical Medicine in Thailand.
They also discussed the prospect of producing antivenin in Bangladesh under EDCL to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Young researchers from Bangladesh who are studying at Oxford also attended the meeting.
The Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK accompanied the Health Minister during the visit and the meetings there.