As Bangladesh continues its fight against this pandemic, we are continuing to struggle to contain the spread of the virus. As such, the very last thing we need is institutional ineptitude, along with scammers and bad actors who are looking to take advantage of this dire situation.
To that end, it is good that a probe body was formed to investigate the fake N95 mask scam earlier during the pandemic period, and that they are now uncovering some answers that the general public has a right to know.
Above all else, the probe committee has discovered that the N95 masks supplied in question were in the research and development stage, and were in no condition to be supplied to the market. As such, delivering these masks on the market was nothing but unconscionable and extremely dangerous, risking the lives of both the health care experts and those coming in for treatment.
To say that the Central Medical Store Depot (CMSD) -- who were responsible for accepting and distributing the masks to hospitals -- acted irresponsibly is putting it extremely mildly. Their sheer incompetence in handling the matter has directly resulted in endangering lives, and there is no alternative but to identify those responsible within the organization for this callous act and punish them to the fullest extent of the law.
Similar action must also be directed towards the organizations responsible for supplying faulty, fake masks in the first place. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is also involved in identifying the bad actors, but it is extremely important that these perpetrators, who have shown no regard for life at the prospect of fueling their greed, be brought to book.
Otherwise, it tells the people of Bangladesh, that such scammers and fraudsters will continue endangering people’s lives and be able to avoid the law.