Causing much worries to all concerned, no effective action has been taken so far against those involved in collecting samples of corona patients using expired tubes and syringes. No inquiry committee has been formed yet, though the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has verbally warned against such act.
However, public health experts suggested taking exemplary actions against those involved after the investigation. According to them, if action is not taken against such irregularities, others will be encouraged to do the same in future. About the use of expired tubes and syringes, Director General of DGHS Prof Abul Kalam Azad said that after knowing the matter, he asked for an explanation from the organization concerned- IEDCR.
From there he was informed that some equipment may have expired. Some more tools are going to expire soon. They are also urged to provide these tools quickly to keep corona tests normal. Professor Dr. Azad said there was a "state of emergency" in the country. Moreover, IEDCR (Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research) is an important institution, so no inquiry committee has been formed to keep the corona examination normal.
However, they have been warned verbally regarding this. Besides, some decisions have been taken about IEDCR. From now on, the company will no longer test on a massive scale. They will test on a limited extent. Health experts said, samples of many important people have already been taken through these expired tubes and syringes. But these tubes are not supposed to store samples properly. The use of such expired material in such important work is not reasonable in any way.
According to them, these tubes are usually give negative pressure. But as it expires, the negative pressure inside the tube changes. Or that pressure may lose effectiveness. If one collects samples in these tubes, it is normal that the quality of those samples is not right. So the quality of the samples and the test results of these samples are being questioned.
Former Vice Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and former chairman of the pathology department of the university, Dr. Kamrul Hasan Khan said that since these syringes and tubes are made of plastic, chemical reactions have taken place during the production of these products. So, if these ingredients are used in the collection of blood samples, other chemical reactions may occur in the samples.
“Even accurate results may not be obtained from these samples,” he said. DrKamruladvised not to useexpired tubes and syringes. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have already launched separate investigations into whether there was any fraud in the N-95 mask purchase process. A five-member team led by ACC director KaziShafiqulAlam has already started the investigation.
In this regard, Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Iqbal Mahmud said, "We took cognizance of the matter as soon as we came to know about it." “There was dissatisfaction among the doctors with the masks that were provided. Even authorities concerned expressed doubts about the procurement process. The ACC has started an investigation into these allegations.” He said, if any discrepancyis found in the process and any fraud occurs here, persons at fault will not be spared.
