Govt appoints new CMSD director
The government has moved to appoint a new director to the Central Medical Stores Depot which came under scanner for delivering ordinary masks mislabelled as N95 masks to government hospitals through the coronavirus crisis, reports bdnews24.com.
The public administration ministry announced the appointment of Additional Secretary Abu Hena Morshed Zaman as CMSD director within an order issued on Friday.
He'll replace Brig Gen Md Shahidullah, who has been assigned to the MILITARY Division.
The CMSD has been the main topic of much scrutiny over its handling of mask supplies for medics battling the coronavirus on the frontlines.
The utilization of N95 masks is vital while treating COVID-19 patients and testing samples, in line with the health directorate’s personal protective equipment guidelines.
However, the masks CMSD delivered to different hospitals by the finish of March were surgical ones, although packets had the label of “N95”, creating confusion among the doctors.
The fiasco was later reported in the media and also drew the ire of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who ordered the Directorate General of Health Services and Central Medical Stores Depot to carefully monitor the supplies of protective equipment to hospitals.
The federal government subsequently launched an investigation into the matter while removing the director of Dhaka Mugda Medical College Hospital, Dr Shahid Md Sadiqul Islam, from active duty seven months prior to the end of his term.
