ED: Listen to the experts

Bangladesh is about to receive the Covid-19 vaccine soon and yet, there are questions being asked of the deployment plan of the vaccine by health experts. This is a worrying sign, because the plan is about to be finalized, and there is not much time to look over and revise the existing plan.

Among the many concerns brought up by the experts included the involvement of private companies in the distribution process, ensuring subsequent doses, the threat of middle-men who may abuse the online vaccine registration process, ensuring that those who need the vaccine receive it first, and finally, ensuring efficacy of the vaccine.

Suffice to say, given how much the people have suffered and continue to suffer, we must not allow these problems to amplify and add to the misery of the people. While it is no doubt concerning that so many issues are being brought up, what has been encouraging to see is that the expert voices and opinions are being acknowledged, and as per the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Director General (Health) Prof ABM Khurshid Alam, the plan was already undergoing some revisions.

This sets an important tone for the rest of the country to follow. There is simply no scope for Bangladesh to not ensure a fool-proof plan for vaccine deployment. As such, if we are to minimize the various problems that will arise, and ensure that every step of the plan will be seamlessly executed, it is imperative to listen to the experts, and tread with caution.