Health And Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque on Thursday said that drug stores will remain open 24 hours a day.
He said the ministry did not provide any directive to close down the drug stores.
The minister was speaking to the media after a meeting on the service activities of Bangladesh’s hospitals in the meeting room of the Health Ministry on Thursday.
Zahid Maleque said: "Health care is an emergency service. We have maintained 24-hour service in hospitals. Only office hours are from 8am to 3pm now. Moreover, all hospitals will run at their own pace, their time will remain unchanged.”
Instructions to close drug stores were not given. Medication is an urgent necessity and emergency services are not closed. Pharmacies remain open 24 hours a day, he said
"If the city corporations ask to close pharmacies after 12am, we will discuss and find a solution. I think it should be open 24 hours a day. We will take measures to keep it open," he said.