Friday, April 26, 2024
Professor Dr Md Iqbal Kabir has been removed from the post of director (Planning and Research) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
At the same time, he has been relieved of the post of Project Director (PD) of two ongoing projects against Covid-19, funded by the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The information was revealed in a circular signed by the Deputy Secretary (Pur-2) of the Health Services Department Sharmin Akhter Jahan, on the order of the President on Monday.
According to the circular, Iqbal Kabir has been assigned to the Pur-1 branch for the next posting.
On the same day, another circular signed by Deputy Secretary Sharmin Akhter Jahan, issued on the order of the President, said that Dr Afrina Mahmud, Deputy Director of the Department of Health Services, has been appointed as the current planning and research director of DGHS.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) has so far approved two projects to buy health equipment to address the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The cost of one of the projects, funded by the World Bank, has been estimated at Tk 1,117 crore. Of this, the World Bank is lending Tk 850 crore and the remaining Tk 277 crore is being paid from the state exchequer.
Another ADB-funded project has been signed to buy health equipment. The cost for implementation of this project has been estimated at Tk 1,365 crore. Of this, ADB is lending Tk 850 crore. The remaining Tk 515 crore is being paid from the state exchequer. Work on both the projects has already started.
According to an investigation, the price of goggles and PPE in the World Bank-funded project is two to four times higher than the current market price.
Earlier, An investigative report on the abnormal cost of health equipment was published on the front page of a national daily on June 4, which started a huge instigation across the country.
