Health ministry showed efficiency in dealing with COVID-19 pandemic: PM Hasina

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday appreciated the health ministry for its efficiency in preventing novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bangladesh.

“Many (people) criticise the health ministry, but the ministry showed efficiency enough to halt the spread of the lethal virus in the country,” she said.

The prime minister said this while addressing as the chief guest the Annual Performance Agreement (APA) Signing Ceremony-2020 held at the conference room of the public administration ministry.

She joined the function through a videoconference from her official Gonobhaban residence in the capital.

The prime minister said the government has been able to keep under control the COVID-19 situation as the primary works that were supposed to be done at that time were implemented properly.

“We will have to keep in mind that health professionals including physicians, nurses and health workers don’t sit idle, they are working with efficiency risking their life to combat the COVID-19,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina mentioned that many physicians, nurses and health workers had died while treating the COVID patients.

Besides, she said, officials and employees of the administration, members of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies, BGB, Ansar and VDP and volunteers, alongside the leaders and activists of Bangladesh Awami League and its front organisations are also working with utmost sincerity to fight the disease and help people during this crisis.

Mentioning that she is worried about the students due to the coronavirus outbreak, the prime minister said it is hampering their study seriously.

“Not only in Bangladesh, the economy of the entire world has been stalled due to the pandemic and the people of whole world are suffering for it,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the pace of the development works has been slowed down due to the COVID-19 outbreak. “There is no doubt that obstruction has been made on the way we are advancing. But we have to cross this hurdle and work by accepting it,” she said.

“Disasters will come as Bangladesh is a disaster-prone country. But we have to advance by combating the calamities,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the government announced a set of stimulus package which is equivalent of over four per cent of the country’s GDP. “No country declared such packages first before Bangladesh and we thank the finance ministry to this end.”

“We’ve provided the incentive packages as well as cash wherever it is necessary. As a result, the wheels of our economy remain operative,” she said.

The prime minister said they had announced Digital Bangladesh in 2008 in their election manifesto and the government is now completing their works by utilising information technology.

Sheikh Hasina expressed her firm belief that Bangladesh will move ahead further and will never look backward and urged all to work together to attain the goal.

“Our advancement will continue and we will not move backward… we will build a hunger-and-poverty-free Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Bangabandhu. To achieve the goal, I call upon all to work in unison,” she said.

Extending her sincere thanks to all who successfully executed the APA, the prime minister said they have done an excellent work amid the COVID-19 pandemic which will remain an example in the world.

Agriculture minister Abdur Razzaque, on behalf of the prime minister, handed over crests and certificates to the secretaries concerned for outstanding performances of their ministries and divisions in implementing APAs.

State minister for public administration Farhad Hossain also spoke at the function conducted by cabinet secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam.