Yunus government was given 5-6 letters warning about vaccine shortage: UNICEF

❐ Staff Reporter

UNICEF Bangladesh representative Rana Flowers said five to six letters were sent to the Yunus government warning it about the vaccine shortage, she told media persons at a briefing on Wednesday.

Rana Flowers said that no pandemic is created overnight. It is a series of specific events that create such a situation, especially in the case of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Responding to a question, Rana said, “The reason for the delay in this procurement process after the current government took office was a decision by the (interim government) cabinet to purchase vaccines through open tender.”

He said the decision was taken last year. “I don’t think such a decision has ever been taken before. But you can check this with the Health Ministry,” he added.

Professor Sayedur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Interim Government’s Chief Advisor on Health, claims that UNICEF did not warn the then government about the measles outbreak.

In this regard, UNICEF representative Rana said, ‘At the moment, I do not have the exact date. However, the investigation will confirm the matter. All I know is that we sent five-six letters from 2024 to February 2026, the last of which arrived just before the new government took office. We hoped that the letter would be on the desk of the new government.’

He added, “We have repeatedly pressed them to hold an emergency meeting. At the same time, I can say that I have sat with the interim advisors and staff at least 10 times. I and my staff have said that we are worried. You can see from my face that I am worried that you are going to face a vaccine crisis.” “It was clear that if we cannot bring vaccines to the country, there will be problems,” said Rana.

Asked if there was any vaccine shortage in Bangladesh in the last two years, Rana Flowers said, “We predicted a vaccine shortage in 2024. It could affect various diseases in the next two years. So we were warning in advance and constantly reminding them that they were going to face a shortage,” he added.

Rana said in a press briefing that there are many lessons to be learned from the measles outbreak in Bangladesh. He said that an ‘after action review’ or subsequent evaluation after this incident is very important in this regard.

“We will investigate why nearly half a million children have been left out of the vaccination program every year for many years.”

He called the number a “rough estimate,” adding, “We will look into the ability to bring children together in places like health centers, preschools, and pre-primary schools in the future.”

He added, “There is no point in blaming anyone now. Now we have to make the (vaccination process) work in such a way that no child in this country dies of preventable diseases in the future.”

Regarding the vaccine procurement process, Rana said, “The most transparent method for anything we buy is to have an open tender. But in the case of vaccines, it’s different because it’s a highly specialized product. Here you’re not just buying antibiotics for 100,000 people, your goal is to reach a much larger number of people.”

“You have to make sure you have a World Health Organization (WHO) approved vaccine. So you don’t chase the cheapest vaccine. You take the vaccine that is proven to be effective and has no side effects. That’s why UNICEF decided many years ago to procure and invest in vaccines for the world.”

He added, “We procure vaccines from most countries in the world. We have direct relationships with vaccine manufacturers and their quality is regularly checked. Since we buy in large quantities, we can save on prices. We know that it is not possible to get a tender for a price lower than the price at which UNICEF receives vaccines.”