The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved a Tk 5,659.07 crore project for the purchase, preservation and supply of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The approval came from the ECNEC meeting held virtually with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
The Premier chaired the meeting from her official Ganabhaban residence while Ministers, State Minister, Secretaries and other officials concerned joined from the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.
Till June 2021, it will cost Tk 3,030 crore to buy the vaccine, the rest of the money will be spent in phases under the project.
The initiative will be taken under the first revised project "Covid-19 Emergency Response and Pandemic Preparedness" proposed for implementation through the Department of Health.
Now the proposed cost of the project is estimated at Tk 6,786.59 crore. Of it, Tk 6,614.13 crore will come from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The project will end in June 2023 while the Ministry of Health will also purchase, conserve and distribute the vaccine utilising loan from the World Bank for the project.
Under the project, the Ministry of Health will set up modern microbiology labs with PCR machines in 27 medical college hospitals across the country.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said a total of six projects were approved Tuesday involving an overall estimated cost of Tk 9,569.23 crore.
“Of the total project cost, Tk 3,867.58 crore will come from the Government of Bangladesh portion while the rest of Tk 5,701.65 crore as project assistance,” he added.
Read More: US welcomes arrival of Pfizer vaccine in Bangladesh
About the Covid-19 Emergency Response and Pandemic Preparedness, the planning minister said “It is a very important project for the government. As a result, it will be implemented on time and there is no way to do irregularities as proper monitoring will be ensured.”
The planning minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself gave utmost priority to the issue of successfully handling the COVID-19 crisis.
“We’ve sufficient fund supply, the arrangements for storing of vaccines at district and upazila levels have also been ensured. We’re ready and we believe that we’ll get the vaccines on time,” he added.
He also mentioned that round the clock monitoring would be ensured so that there is no mismanagement over the price of vaccines.
Under the project, six medical screening units will be set up in five immigration areas of the country, three at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, one at Shah Amanat Airport in Chattogram, one at Osmani Airport in Sylhet, one at Chattogram Sea Port and another at Mongla Land Port.
Besides, isolation units with 20 beds, critical care units will be set up in 43 district headquarters hospitals and epidemiological units will be set up in 64 civil surgeon's offices.
Revealing the details of the project on COVID-19, Planning Commission member Abul Kalam Azad said apart from procuring, preserving and distributing COVID-19 vaccines, the other major project operations include installing modern microbiology laboratories alongside PCR machines at 27 medical colleges and hospitals in the country.
Besides, RT-PCR kits, antigen kits and health safety kits will also be procured under the project side by side Biosafety Level-3 Labs will be set up at IEDCR and Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID), Chattogram.
Azad informed that 10-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 20-bed Isolation Units would be set up at 43 district Sadar hospitals.
The other major project operations include setting up 10-bed ICU units at 10 medical college and hospitals and five-bed ICU units at infectious disease hospitals in Dhaka and Chattogram, setting up seven medical screening units at five port of entries, setting up infectious disease units at 27 medical college and hospitals, setting up Infection Prevention and Control Units at 62 district hospitals, setting up medical waste management plants at 10 medical college hospitals and 10 district hospitals, installing central liquid medical oxygen system at 30 government hospitals.
Azad informed that the World Bank would provide $500 million while the AIIB $100 million for implementing the project.
The Planning Commission member said the government aims to give COVID-19 vaccines to around 13.76 crore people of the country. But, the people aged below 18 would not be brought under the vaccination programme except for certain reasons.
He said the government would spend around Taka 4,236.43 crore for procuring, transporting, distributing COVID-19 vaccines while the frontline workers including health workers, personnel of Law Enforcement Agencies, media personnel would get the vaccines on priority basis.
The Planning Commission member said the initial cost of the project was Taka 1,127 crore when it was approved in April last year while the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) as the executing agency has so far spent Taka 115 crore.
Other projects approved in the meeting are Construction of Modern Information Complex at District Level (Phase I) project under Information Ministry costing Tk1103.6 crore; Sundarbans Protection project under Environment, Forests and Climate Change Ministry costing Tk157.88 crore, Earthquake and Other Disaster Search, Rescue Operations and Emergency Communication Equipment (Phase 3) project under Disaster Management and Relief Ministry costing Tk2275.99 crore, Upgradation of District Highways to Appropriate Standards and Widths (Sylhet Zone) (1st Amendment) project under Road Transport and Bridges Ministry costing Tk122.82 crore and Chattogram City Outer Ring Road (3rd Amendment) project under Housing and Public Works Ministry costing Tk289.81 crore.
