Photo: Collected

SANGSAD BHABAN, April 6, 2026 (BSS) - Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat 
Husain today informed the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) that necessary isolation and 
ICU facilities have been kept ready in hospitals across the country to face 
the ongoing measles situation.

The Minister made the statement while responding to a notice under Rule-71 
placed by NCP lawmaker Akhtar Hossen (Rangpur-4) in the Jatiya Sangsad today.

With Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal in the chair, the minister said 
nationwide hospitals have prepared isolation wards for measles patients and 
necessary steps are being taken promptly wherever required.

"Allegations of a lack of isolation facilities at the field level are not 
correct," he said, adding that there is no shortage of isolation wards in any 
hospital and he is even ready to personally visit and demonstrate the 
situation if necessary.

Regarding ICU facilities, the minister said ICUs cannot be established 
instantly, but rapid steps have been taken considering the situation. He 
noted that an ICU unit at the Infectious Disease Centre was made operational 
within just 18 hours.

He further said that an ICU unit which had remained inactive after a project 
was shut down has been reactivated with the deployment of doctors, nurses, 
ayahs [female caregivers] and anesthesia staff to ensure full functionality.

Referring to the measles situation in Rajshahi, the minister said emergency 
measures were taken immediately after reports of 33 child deaths in 11 days. 
"Ventilators were sent the following day, an ICU unit was activated and 
round-the-clock monitoring ensured, and the situation there is now under 
control," he said.

Ventilators and other necessary medical equipment are available with the 
ministry and are being supplied quickly wherever needed, Md. Sakhawat said.

Referring to the budget, the minister said it [the new budget] has not yet 
been placed, but the government will ensure transparent and need-based 
spending in the health sector. "Whatever allocation is provided will be spent 
honestly and efficiently according to actual requirements," he added.

The health minister said the government's goal is to quickly control measles 
and protect children's lives through prompt action.

He said that the rise in measles cases on vaccination failure and a long gap 
in immunization during the previous and immediate past governments, saying no 
measles-rubella campaign was conducted for about five and a half years after 
2020, which increased the number of unvaccinated children and put them at 
higher risk. "Weak vaccine supply management also created shortages," he 
added.

In this context, an emergency vaccination campaign began on April 5. In the 
first phase, children aged six months to under five years in 18 districts and 
30 upazilas are being vaccinated, targeting 1.2 million children, with about 
96 percent coverage achieved on the first day.

The minister said affected children are being given Vitamin-A and hospitals 
have been kept ready with isolation, ICU and ventilator support.

He also said vaccines are being procured and the programme strengthened with 
the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the World Bank 
(WB).

The government hopes that coordinated efforts will help bring the measles 
under control quickly.