Desk Report
Published: 26 Jan 2022, 06:31 pm
Health Minister Zahid Maleque || Photo: Collected
Health Minister Zahid Maleque did not disclose the cost of buying the coronavirus vaccine in the current session like the 15th session of the National Parliament.
He said it
would not be appropriate to disclose the cost of purchasing vaccines through
non-closure agreements in Parliament. However, the vaccine has been purchased
at a competitive price by ensuring the demand, honesty and transparency, he said.
The health minister
was responding to a question from Aminul Islam, an MP from Chapainawabganj-2
constituency, on Wednesday (January 26).
With this, the
health minister twice avoided disclosing the cost of buying vaccines in parliament. Although not announced in Parliament, the Ministry of Health
announced in July last year that the government's expenditure on coronavirus
treatment, including the purchase of vaccines, would be announced in the media.
Abul Kalam Azad of
Jamalpur-1 constituency on November 16 last year asked the Parliament how many
vaccines were collected from which countries as well as how much money was
spent for it. This time too, the same senior MP from the ruling party asked the
same question.
However, the
Minister of Health gave the answer to this question two months ago. In response
to today's (Wednesday) question, he said that the same number of vaccines were brought
to the country at that time.