Tk16,000cr in health sector tenders to be floated in next 15 days, corruption will not be tolerated: Muhit

The government is set to float tenders worth around Tk16,000 crore in the health sector over the next 15 days, and not a single penny of the money must be lost to corruption or waste, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare MA Muhit has warned.

“Just as prevention is better than cure in the case of diseases, the same applies to corruption,” he said, urging the media and civil society to play a stronger role in preventing irregularities in the health sector.

The state minister made the remarks while speaking at a civic dialogue titled “Urban Child Health at Risk from Climate Change: Challenges and Ways Forward” at The Daily Star Centre today (27 October). The event was organised by Children Watch Foundation.

Muhit said the health sector had long suffered from a lack of good governance and had faced numerous allegations of corruption. “Although the current government was increasing the budget for the sector, he said, it was determined to ensure that the additional allocation did not disappear into a ‘black hole’ of corruption, as had happened in the past.”

Reiterating the government’s zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, he said, “If we receive reports of corruption, we will take strict action and show zero tolerance. The prime minister and our government are extremely serious about this.”

The state minister urged journalists to remain vigilant and help ensure good governance and a corruption-free environment in the health sector.