Bangladesh
Covid Package Government allots Tk 6,786 crore for Covid relief
Dhaka, January 6: The government has agreed to allocate another Tk 5,659 crore to bolster the health sector in their fight against the Covid-19 disease, with more than Tk 4,500 crore for vaccine import, storage and supply. According to Planning Minister MA Mannan, the allocation of the Bangladesh government for the 'Covid-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness' project has been increased to Tk 6,786.59 crore.
A meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday approved the funding for the purchase of vaccines by revising the Covid-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness project on an urgent basis.
Speaking at a press conference after the ECNEC meeting at the NEC conference room in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, the planning minister said, “Last April, the project was approved at a cost of Tk 1,127.52 crore on an emergency basis to combat coronavirus. In today's meeting, an additional Tk 5,659 crore was increased and amended.”
The World Bank will provide USD 50 crore and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will provide USD 10 crore for this additional funding. The government will provide Tk 172 crore from its own funds, the minister said.
Tk 4,236.42 crore has been allocated for the revised project including the cost of purchase, transportation, storage and management of vaccines. The rest of the money will be spent on health infrastructure expansion, purchase of medical equipment and other works.
Replying to a question, the planning minister said, "The prime minister said at the meeting, 'Vaccines will be available as per the agreement.' We hope and believe we will get the vaccine.”
Journalists asked Health Services Secretary Md. Abdul Mannan, who was present at the press conference, whether the agreement reached to import the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the Seram Institute in India was a G2G agreement. Or was there a tripartite agreement with Serum Institute and Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited?
In reply, he said, "Whatever the process of bringing the vaccine, we will get it in time."
Abul Kalam Azad, a member of the Planning Commission's Economic and Social Infrastructure Division, presented various details of the approved project at a press conference.
He said 13.8 crore people over the age of 18 will be vaccinated in the country. As part of this, 30 million doses of vaccine are being imported initially from the Serum Institute of India.
