DHAKA: Health Minister Mohammad Nasim announced that the officials responsible for purchasing unnecessary hospital equipments will be brought to book.

The health minister was addressing a reception function held at Sagar-Runi auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) On Thursday noon.

Mohammad Nasim disclosed that equipments costing crores of money were purchased by the health directorate. There are equipments many packets of those were not even opened. Many machines do not function.

A committee has been formed headed by a joint secretary of the ministry to investigate the whole purchase episode. After the committee report is received then it will be known under whose report the purchases were done and then the action will follow.

He said that I am not a doctor rather politician. Despite the fact the Prime Minister has reposed me responsibility of Health Ministry.

To this end I will form a small advisory council where a representative of the journalists will be included for helping me in the ministry.

The Minister informed that the Prime Minister has instructed me to upgrade Rajshahi and Chittagong Medical colleges to university. Insha Allah very soon it will be done.

The Minister said that the doctors where posted must stay there till the specified period. He told that the rich people face no problem in getting treatment and they can make expenses lot even can go abroad. But the poor and middle class want treatment in their localities.  

For this reason, the physicians must stay in the villages for a specified period. If necessary they will be given incentives. No recommendation to come to Dhaka will be entertained. In this respect he sought the cooperation of the media.  

In the function the Minister gave venerations to Dhaka Reporters Unity, Samakal and Ittefaq as media organization while Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, Naimul Islam Khan, Munni Saha and Syed Ishtiaq Reza were conferred the special veneration as media personalities.

In the function BTV Director General M Hamid and the Daily Star were also given the veneration in absentia.

With National Eye Care Director Professor Jalauddin in the chair, the function was also addressed, among others, by Health Secretary MM Niazuddin.

DG of Health Directorate Deen Mohammad Nurul Haque presented the keynote at the function.  

BDST: 1918 HRS, FEB 27, 2014