BNP blasts PM, health minister for staying abroad at critical juncture

BNP senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain criticised on Wednesday Prime Minister (PM) Sheik Hasina as she has been on a long tour of London when the country is facing a serious flooding and dengue prevalence, reports UNB.

He also demanded that the government announce some public and private hospitals as dengue centres on emergency basis as the country is now in the grip of the mosquito-borne viral disease.

The BNP leader made the comments while speaking at a discussion, organised by Doctors Association of Bangladesh, a pro-BNP body of physicians, at the National Press Club in the city.

"The Prime Minister has been staying in London without any reason. Had she been the Prime Minister of a democratic government she couldn't have stayed aboard after the way flood and dengue situation turned critical in the country," he said.

He also bemoaned that the home minister is also abroad amid the deteriorating dengue situation.

Mosharraf, a former health minister, said his party chairperson Khaleda used to cut short her foreign trips and returned home whenever the country faced natural disaster during BNP's rule.

He also highlighted how his party-led government tackled dengue from 2001-2006 when he was the health minister.

The BNP leader said the government should urgently engage the doctors of both private and public hospitals in providing dengue patients with necessary treatment as the number of people diagnosed with the mosquito-borne virus have marked a sharp rise.

Besides, he urged the government to immediately import effective medicines to eliminate the growing mosquito menace.

The BNP leader said the government also should fix the treatment cost of dengue and take action against those public and private hospitals and clinics violate it.