4-tier anti-rabies vaccine in place at upazila health complexes: Minister to JS

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain today (10 June) assured parliament that there would be no shortage of Anti-Rabies vaccines anywhere in the country, saying the government has maintained stocks at multiple levels to ensure uninterrupted supply.

Replying to supplementary question from opposition lawmaker (Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami) Mohammad Zahirul Islam (Chattogram-16) in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS), the minister said people exposed to rabies animal bites require a series of four vaccine doses over an 18-day period and the government has taken comprehensive measures to guarantee availability of the life-saving vaccines.

"We have already kept vaccine stocks at three tiers across the country. Adequate quantities are available at the upazila level, while anti-rabies immunoglobulin has been stocked at district hospitals," he said.

The minister said if vaccine stocks run out in any upazila due to an unexpected surge in demand, supplies would immediately be collected from neighboring upazilas.
If necessary, district authorities would provide additional doses, and deputy commissioners have been instructed to procure vaccines on an emergency basis until central supplies arrive, he added.

"We have maintained reserves at four levels. I want to assure the honourable member that, by the grace of Almighty Allah, there will be no shortage of vaccines during the coming season despite any increase in demand," he told the House.

Responding to another supplementary question on healthcare services, Sakhawat Husain said the government has undertaken a series of initiatives to expand healthcare facilities and bring services closer to people.

He said the government has decided to upgrade 50-bed and 100-bed hospitals across the country with improved manpower, equipment, ICU facilities and other modern healthcare services.

The minister also informed that five children's hospitals in Rajshahi, Rangpur, Barishal, Cumilla and another divisional city would be upgraded to 200-bed facilities within the next six months.

In addition, he said work on a cancer hospital is progressing rapidly, with installation of machinery completed and furniture procurement already under process.

Highlighting the government's grassroots healthcare strategy, the minister said some 100,000 health workers would be recruited nationwide, with 80% of the positions reserved for women, to ensure healthcare services reach people at the village level.

He also acknowledged that some hospitals are facing medicine shortages due to increased patient loads and bed-capacity expansions that were not matched by corresponding increases in allocations during previous administrations. 

"The government is now taking steps to revise allocations and improve routine healthcare services," he continued.

Earlier, replying to a starred question from opposition lawmaker Mohammad Zahirul Islam (Chattogram-16), Sakhawat Husain said the government has already supplied 139,675 vials of anti-rabies vaccine nationwide.

He said the supplied quantity is equivalent to 558,700 doses of vaccine, calculated at four doses per vial.

The minister further told the House that the supply of anti-rabies vaccines is continuing across the country to ensure treatment for dog-bite victims and prevent rabies-related deaths.

He reaffirmed the government's commitment to maintaining an uninterrupted supply of the life-saving vaccine at public health facilities nationwide.