No probe needed into measles vaccine lapse as causes already clear: PM's spl health assistant

There is no need to form an investigation committee into the lapse in measles vaccination, as the reasons for the failure are already known, SM Ziauddin Hyder, special assistant to the prime minister on health affairs, has said.

"There was negligence here, and we can say that without any doubt. Because of their negligence, the vaccine round scheduled for FY25 was completely missed. Yes, no vaccine procurement was carried out. Likewise, contraceptive products for family planning were not procured. There is no need for an investigation to establish this," he told the media at the Secretariat today (21 June), reports UNB.

The briefing was arranged to share the outcomes of his recent visit to Europe, including participation in the 34th International Confederation of Midwives Triennial Congress held in Lisbon, Portugal.

Ziauddin said the issue stemmed from shifting the programme from an operational plan to a Development Project Proposal. 

"We know what happened. The programme was transferred from the operational plan to a DPP. At that time, it may have been assumed that the DPPs would be approved within one to one-and-a-half months and funds would become available. But in reality, many DPPs could not even be properly prepared within a year, let alone receive approval from Ecnec and establish project offices," he said.

The regular flow of funds available through the operational plan mechanism was halted before a new funding channel was put in place, creating a gap that the country is still dealing with, Ziauddin added.

The government is working intensively to address shortages of family planning products and other essential health supplies, the special assistant said. 

"Many family planning products are out of stock in different places. Our minister and all concerned are working to procure them as quickly as possible," he said.

He said the government will recruit one lakh new health workers and 25,000 midwives in the coming years to ensure primary healthcare services, reports BSS. 

"The government aims to transform the country's healthcare system from a "treatment-centric" model to a "prevention-centric" approach by strengthening primary healthcare services and thus, the recruitment of a large number of health workers and midwives will be carried out over the next three to four years," he said.

Meanwhile, three more children died with symptoms consistent with measles in 24 hours until 8am today, taking the combined tally of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths to 680, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.

With the latest update, the number of suspected measles deaths has risen to 587, while the number of laboratory-confirmed measles deaths remains unchanged at 93.

A total of 1,001 new suspected measles cases and 62 more new confirmed cases were reported during the same period across the country.