Dhaka, May 25 (IANS) Bangladesh’s Awami League party on Monday alleged that gross negligence and policy failures during the tenure of the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has triggered an escalating measles outbreak in the country that has claimed over 500 lives. The party claimed that the recent remarks by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) have confirmed that this crisis was not an accident, but the result of Yunus’ “deliberate negligence and destruction”.
The UN agency reportedly said that it had repeatedly warned the earlier interim government, led by Yunus, both through written communication and meetings with Health Ministry officials, about vaccine shortages that could trigger a major health crisis.
It has been highlighted that, for years, the government procured vaccines through UNICEF using a direct procurement method, but the interim government last year decided to split purchases between UNICEF and an open tender process, resulting in delays in vaccine procurement.
UNICEF strongly opposed the move, warning it might disrupt the immunisation system and cause an outbreak. “It was very frustrating,” ‘Science Adviser’ quoted Rana Flowers, the agency’s representative in Bangladesh, as saying. She had pleaded with former Health Advisor Nurjahan Begum, saying, “For God’s sake… don’t do this.”
The Awami League also cited public health experts warning that adopting the revised procurement system would delay vaccine delivery and lead to a large-scale measles outbreak.
“Despite those warnings, the Yunus government ignored them. Bureaucratic complications stalled the tender process, vaccine stocks ran out, and routine immunisation programs collapsed,” it noted.
Citing media reports and Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission complaints, the Awami League said that allegations of “embezzlement and irregularities” in the purchase of vaccines and syringes have also surfaced. Stressing that this was not simply incompetence but a “calculated crime”, the party said that “By intentionally failing to secure vaccines and dismantling the supply system, Yunus pushed Bangladesh toward disaster.”
The Awami League further said that many lawmakers sitting in the national parliament today are those who sided with Pakistan and participated in the killing of Bangladeshi Bengalis during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. It added that the primary goal of these members is “to protect Pakistan’s interests — not the safety and welfare of the people of Bangladesh.”
According to the Awami League, alongside the vaccine crisis, the Yunus government, in its final days in power, signed a trade agreement with the United States called the “Agreement on Reciprocal Trade” (ART). The party claimed that a review of the agreement indicated it was signed at the “expense of Bangladesh’s national interests” — and “the timing is even more suspicious”, as it was signed just three days before the February election this year.
Calling Yunus a “child-killer”, the Awami League said that, ignoring UNICEF’s warnings, Yunus deliberately pushed children towards death and sacrificed the country’s independence and sovereignty through an agreement with the United States.
–IANS
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