The government has appointed Dr ABM Khurshid Alam as the director general (DG) of the Directorate General of Health Services following the resignation of his predecessor in the face of a series of scams related to Covid-19 tests.
Maidul Islam Prodhan, Public Relations Officer of the Health Ministry, told Dhaka Tribune that the appointment of Alam, who heads the surgery department of Dhaka Medical College, had been finalized.
The new appointment comes hours after the government said on Thursday that it had scrapped the contractual agreement and appointment of Abul Kalam Azad as the chief of the DGHS, a key agency in the fight against the pandemic.
On Tuesday, Azad stepped down as the chief of DGHS. The resignation was accepted by President Abdul Hamid the next day.
Azad’s resignation comes at a time when the DGHS and its officials are under the scanner over the poor handling of Covid-19 management by the organisation.
However, Azad cited a ‘deteriorating health condition’ as the reason for his departure in the resignation letter.
He had been infected with Covid-19 and was in hospital in May till his recovery.
