EPI disrupted due to previous govts’ mismanagement: Dr Muhit

photo: collected

State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr MA Muhit on Wednesday said the country's Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) had been severely disrupted due to mismanagement and negligence of the previous governments, reports BSS.

“However, by overcoming the crisis, the present government has successfully brought more than 2 crore children under the vaccination coverage through intensive efforts over the past seven months,” he said.

The state minister made the remarks while addressing the concluding session of a workshop titled “Joint Independent Review 2026 of EPI and VPD Surveillance in Bangladesh: Dissemination of Findings” as the chief guest at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel here this afternoon, said a press release.

He said Bangladesh's EPI programme was once widely recognised and praised by public health experts around the world as a successful model.

“For many years, this programme has protected our children from premature deaths and disabilities and ensured services even in remote and marginalised areas. But, unfortunately, the programme suffered a severe setback due to mismanagement in the previous times,” Dr Muhit said.

He said a measles outbreak occurred in the country only 15 days after the present government assumed office, reflecting the consequences of the previous failures and crisis in the immunisation programme.

Highlighting the measures taken to address the situation, Dr Muhit said more than 2 crore children has been brought under vaccination coverage over the past seven months through concerted efforts by field-level health workers and international partner organisations.

He, however, cautioned against complacency, saying the measles outbreak has not yet been brought under complete control and that risks still remained.

“The measles outbreak is not yet fully under control, and the risk still exists. Therefore, the identified limitations and crises in the EPI programme must be addressed quickly,” the state minister said.

He assured that the government would provide all necessary support, including additional manpower and logistics, to strengthen the immunisation programme and called on the field-level health workers to become more active in implementing the programme at the grassroots level.

Dr Muhit expressed optimism that the lost glory of Bangladesh's immunisation programme could be restored through collective and coordinated efforts.