Order to report on the stock and supply status of measles and rabies vaccine
The High Court directed to submit a report detailing the current availability of measles and rabies vaccine and the stock and supply status across the country. The director general of the health department has been directed to submit a report in this regard to the court in the form of an affidavit within 30 days.
The High Court bench comprising of Justice Rajik-al-Jalil and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury passed the order on Tuesday after hearing a writ petition.
The rule also sought to know why the families of each of the children who died in the measles outbreak should not be directed to pay adequate compensation. The ruling also sought to know why a 10-member investigation committee should not be formed to identify the root cause of the outbreak of measles in the country and the responsible persons.
The defendants, including the secretary of the health care department, the home secretary, the director general of the health department and the director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), have been asked to respond to the ruling within four weeks, said lawyer for the writ petitioner Mohammad Humayon Kabir.
Bangladesh was on the way to eradicate measles when suddenly the outbreak of the disease occurred this year. More than 450 children have died with measles and measles symptoms in the past three months. The number of identified measles patients has exceeded 50,000. Experts have blamed the outbreak on the failure of vaccinations during the interim government.
In the meantime, the writ was filed on May 10 on behalf of the human rights organization Law and Life Foundation Trust in the context of the outbreak of measles and the death of 352 children with measles and symptoms. The court ordered hearing yesterday and today on the writ.
Lawyer Mohammad Humayon Kabir heard the writ in court, he was assisted by lawyer Khan Mohammad Shamim Aziz, Md. Kaushar and Md. Maksudur Rahman.
Meanwhile, the same bench of the High Court has given a ruling asking why a commission of inquiry should not be ordered to be constituted under the provisions of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1956 to investigate the 'Child Health Tragedy' in the outbreak of measles. This ruling was given on the preliminary hearing of another writ.
Earlier, this writ was filed on May 17 seeking a direction to set up a commission of inquiry under Section 3 of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1956 to determine the responsibility of the advisers of the previous interim government in the cases of children being infected across the country as a result of alleged irregularities, delays and administrative failures in the procurement and distribution of measles vaccine.
Supreme Court lawyer M Ashraful Islam filed the writ as petitioner. Senior lawyer Syed Mamun Mahbub heard on behalf of the writ in the court. In the case of both writs, the state attorney general heard. Ruhul Quddus Kajal was accompanied by Deputy Attorney General Jamila Mumtaz and Md. Jasidul Islam Johnny.
Lawyer M Ashraful Islam said that the defendants, including the Cabinet Secretary, Public Administration Secretary, Home Secretary, Health Secretary, Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and Director General of the Department of Health, have been asked to respond to the ruling within four weeks.
