Health directorate gets new chief
Government appoints Dhaka Medical College Professor ABM Khurshid as the new director general of the Directorate General of Health Services
Hours after cancelling the contract with the former health directorate chief Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad, the government on Thursday appointed Professor Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam as the new director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Dr ABM Khurshid Alam had been serving Dhaka Medical College as a professor.
Earlier in the day, the government cancelled its contract with Dr Abul Kalam Azad, two days after he submitted his resignation letter.
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A public administration ministry gazette notification said Dr Azad's contractual appointment as the health directorate chief would no longer be effective from July 21.
Dr Azad had been drawing criticism on many issues since the Covid-19 outbreak in the country. The flak increased after the discovery of fake Covid-19 diagnosis reports being issued and other anomalies at different private clinics.
The Regent Hospital and JKG Healthcare scams over coronavirus tests put Dr Azad in a tight spot. He was also widely lambasted after commenting that the Covid-19 situation would last another two to three years.
He later apologised for that statement. Amid the turmoil, Dr Abul Kalam Azad submitted his resignation on July 21. He mentioned his deteriorating health as the reason for his resignation.
After Professor Dr Din Mohammad went on retirement, the government appointed Dr Abul Kalam Azad as director general for the health directorate in September 2016. Later, his tenure was extended twice on a contractual basis.
