Dengue emergency: Govt to import 20 lakh bags of saline from India

Staff Reporter :
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare can now procure 12 lakh pieces of normal saline of 1000ml and 8 lakh pieces of glucose saline of 1000ml directly without any tender.

The government has approved a proposal in principle for procuring 20 lakh bags of saline without any tender under the Direct Procurement Method (DPM) on an urgent basis in order to facilitate treatment for dengue patients.

The approval came from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting held on Wednesday virtually with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.

The government has undertaken the initiatives when the treatment for dengue patients is hampering immensely due to the shortage of saline.

Briefing reporters after the meeting virtually, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Sayeed Mahbub Khan said that the day’s CCEA meeting approved a total of 2 proposals.

Among the proposals, procurement of 20 lakh bags of saline and BMRE of Chattogram Silo under the Food Ministry would be done under DPM method.

However, the demand of saline has shot up in the local market amid the worst ever dengue outbreak in the country’s history.

Dengue killed a total of 867 people this year in Bangladesh until Wednesday last.

Mahbub Khan, however, could not say whether the saline bags would be procured from the local market or from abroad.

The DG Health officials said that they would import the item from India through state-owned Essential Drugs Company Limited.

An estimated cost of around Tk 30 crore will be requited for the import, added the officials.