JMI Hospital Requisite Manufacturing Ltd (JHRML), a sister concern of the JMI Group, has launched the first ever Bangladesh-made KN95 mask.
Earlier, JHRML group was sued by Anti-Corruption Commission over supplying low-quality masks, PPEs and other health equipment to the government amid the coronavirus crisis.
JMI claimed that their KN95 mask model will be the cheapest one, cheaper than the ones made in China.
JMI will charge Tk100 as retail price for each mask, while the Chinese one costs Tk300, claimed the JMI officials in the inauguration program of “Made in Bangladesh KN95 respiratory face mask” at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka Hotel on Monday.
While addressing the event as the chief guest, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan thanked JMI authorities saying that the Bangladeshi company created history for the country.
He said: "The Managing Director Abdur Razzaq struggled with his company and made a comeback (Razzaq was detained over ACC case).
“I think the two young men, Razzaq and Md Jabed Iqbal Pathan [chairman of JMI group] will take this company forward as well as brighten the name of Bangladesh in the global arena with Bangladesh made products."
Bangladesh has now set a unique precedent of being on top of the list countries in combating the virus following the direction of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
JMI Group provided assistance with safety equipment to China when Covid-19 first broke out in Wuhan, China, said the home minister.
While addressing as special guest, M Iqbal Arslan, president of Swadhinata Chikitshak Parishad (Swachip), said: “Preparations were inadequate to fight Covid-19 at the beginning of the outbreak. However, at that time we got JMI by our side. Initially, JMI provided 400,000 saliva collection sticks (swab sticks) to detect coronavirus within a few days.”
Supply of KN95 masks has been dependent on imports for so long, now JMI is ready to supply it to the people at an affordable price, Swachip president said this attributing it to the energetic and strong mindset of the organization.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, middle, holds up a box of Bangladesh-made KN95 masks, manufactured by JMI Hospital Requisite Manufacturing Ltd, at the product's launch ceremony held in Dhaka on Monday, January 4, 2021 | Courtesy
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JMI Managing Director Abdur Razzaq, who is out on bail now, said: "We have helped the government by providing our produced international standard face masks and other equipment while the country started recording upward trend in positive cases as well as in death toll after April last year."
“It was not possible for any other company to provide those at that crisis moment,” added Razzaq, once arrested for allegedly supplying fake N95 masks to Central Medical Store Depot (CMSD).
Six official of CMSD were also sued under the ACC case.
The masks were supplied to Mugda General Hospital and the hospital authorities reported the issue to the concerned authorities.
The then CMSD director Brig Gen Md Brig Gen Shahidullah in a media briefing on April 2, 2019 admitted that the delivered masks were ordinary surgical masks and said the packets were labelled N95 “by mistake.”
The fiasco also drew the ire of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who ordered the Directorate General of Health Services and CMSD to carefully monitor the supplies of protective equipment to hospitals.
The government subsequently launched an investigation into the matter while removing the director of Mugda Medical College Hospital from active duty, just seven months before the end of his term.
According to JMI, coronavirus resistant masks N95, KN95 or FFP2 are manufactured usually in the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and in some European countries.
As there were no standard for the production of these masks in Bangladesh, JMI has produced KN95 quality masks in the country in compliance with the Chinese policy.
Through almost a year of research and development, this new mask has been prepared for distribution.
JMI is involved with the medical equipment business since 1999 with only 50 manpower which stands at 7,000 right now.
Liz Fashion, a Chinese garment manufacturer is in joint venture with JMI to produce KN95 masks. JMI has the capacity to produce about 40,000 pieces of masks a day.