15,000 to 20,000 medical professionals to be recruited soon: Maleque

Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque on Monday said the government has taken initiative to recruit 15,000 to 20,000 health assistants and medical technologists to remove manpower shortage in the health sector.

“We have already recruited 15,000 physicians and 20,000 nurses to handle coronavirus situation properly…recruitment process of 4,000 doctors and 8,000 nurses is underway,” he told a function in a city hotel, BSS reports.

Secretary of Health Services Division Lokman Hossain Main, Director General of Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Dr Md Sharfuddin Ahmed and leaders of different platforms of healthcare professionals, among others, addressed the function with President of Bangladesh Society of Medicine Prof Billal Ahmed in the chair.

The health minister said both infection and fatality rate have decreased sharply in the country as the government is dealing the entire COVID-19 pandemic sincerely.

Referring to the zero daily COVID-19 death reported in Bangladesh on November 20 (Saturday), he said, “Bangladesh achieved a remarkable success as the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken prompt and multiple measures to tackle the pandemic successfully.

The minister said the government acted very seriously from the very outset of this global crisis to halt the outbreak of the lethal disease in Bangladesh.

“Bangladesh has been successful for collecting required quantity of vaccines. Success of Bangladesh to control coronavirus has been lauded globally,” he added.

Nearly nine crore people have so far received COVID-19 vaccines, Maleque added.

The health ministry sources said Bangladesh set a target to vaccinate the country’s 80 percent population by 2022 under an accelerated inoculation campaign, expecting receipt of required COVID-19 jabs within estimated timeline.