Dhaka:Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain today emphasized the need for complete vaccination coverage for children in both rural and urban areas to protect them from vaccine-preventable diseases.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Sakhawat urged field-level health workers to conduct household visits to ensure no child is excluded from the immunisation programme. He made these remarks at a workshop titled "Joint Independent Review 2026 of EPI and VPD Surveillance in Bangladesh Dissemination of Findings" held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.
The minister highlighted the importance of addressing the disparities in vaccination coverage between rural and urban areas. He instructed health workers to proactively visit homes, identify eligible children, and ensure they receive vaccinations, especially in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Sakhawat also called for maintaining the quality of vaccines through proper monitoring of the cold-chain system and regular assessments of vaccine effectiveness.
He reiterated that vaccination programmes are crucial for protecting future generations from infectious diseases and pandemics. Bangladesh's Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), launched in 1979, has been instrumental in safeguarding children from various deadly diseases. Sakhawat acknowledged the support of international partners such as Gavi, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO) in advancing the country's immunisation efforts.
Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Health Affairs, SM Ziauddin Hyder, also spoke at the event, outlining government reforms aimed at ensuring quality healthcare for all, including the establishment of primary healthcare units in every union and ward across cities. The government is also recruiting an additional 100,000 Community Health and Wellbeing Workers to enhance healthcare accessibility.
WHO Bangladesh Deputy Representative Rajesh Narwal, UNICEF Bangladesh Representative ad interim Gillian Mellsop, and other officials were present at the workshop.