Khulna: Over 20.17 lakh children aged between six months to 59 months are set to receive Vitamin-A plus capsules across 10 districts in the Khulna division as the National Vitamin A plus Campaign commences on March 15. This announcement was made during a divisional level inception and planning meeting held at the school health clinic auditorium.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the meeting was chaired by Dr Md Monjurul Murshid, Director of Health for the Khulna division. Key attendees included Dr Mohsin Ali Farazi, Director of Khulna Medical College (KMC), Bikash Kumar Das, Director of the Department of Family Planning, and Dr Mujibur Rahman, Deputy Director of the Department of Health for Khulna division. Md Kouser Hossain, Chief of Khulna UNICEF, ASM Kabir, Deputy Chief Information Officer of Khulna PID, and Dr Sharif Shammiul Islam, Chief Health Officer of KCC, also addressed the gathering.
S M Shahriar, Assistant Director of the Department of Health in Khulna division, presented the keynote paper. Dr Md Monjurul Murshid emphasized the importance of ensuring that no child is excluded from the campaign, highlighting the need for increased parental awareness.
The campaign aims to administer vitamin A plus capsules to around 17,81,637 children aged six to eleven months and 2,35,514 children aged 12 to 59 months. These capsules will be dispensed in blue and red doses respectively. The meeting saw participation from civil surgeons of the 10 districts within Khulna division, the deputy director of the Department of Khulna Family Planning, and several government officials.