The government has decided to procure 90 million disposable syringes from the international market to boost its COVID-19 vaccination drive.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase approved a proposal on Sunday to directly purchase the syringes from China on an emergency basis, reports bdnews24.com.
“No Bangladeshi company has the capacity to supply so many syringes now,” said Additional Cabinet Secretary Shamsul Arefin.
The syringes are required to administer 20 million doses per month, according to the proposal.
Bangladesh needs 276.4 million syringes to achieve the target of vaccinating 138.2 million people against the coronavirus.
The committee also approved a proposal to buy 50 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport QX vehicles from Pragoti Industries Limited for upazila executive officers or UNOs in the 2021-21 financial year.
The Department of Government Transport has been providing the UNOs with jeeps since 2006-07 but the repair and maintenance work on these vehicles are hampering administrative work, according to the proposal.