A court has dismissed a case application filed against Dr. Muhammad Yunus, former Chief Advisor of the interim government, and former Health Advisor Noor Jahan Begum, along with five others. The allegations against them included negligence of duty and deliberately failing to import measles vaccines on time, leading to child deaths from measles.
The case application was filed on Monday (June 8) morning at the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jasita Islam by Mujibur Rahman Iqbal, Member of Parliament for Kishoreganj-5 constituency. After the hearing, the court kept the order pending. Later, the court ordered the dismissal of the case, stating that there were no sufficient grounds to accept it. Aminul Islam, the Additional Public Prosecutor of the concerned court, confirmed the matter.
The other individuals against whom allegations were brought in the case are Md. Saidur Rahman, former Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Professor Dr. Muhammad Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the former Chief Advisor; and Professor Dr. Md. Abu Jafor, former Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services.
The case alleged that despite being highly educated and a Nobel laureate, the former Chief Advisor of the interim government, through extreme negligence and deliberate actions, caused the deaths of hundreds of children and endangered the lives of thousands. According to the complainant, this incident amounts to murder.
It was further alleged that the other defendants, holding important positions in the health department of the then-government, neglected their duties and deliberately failed to import measles vaccines on time, thereby committing punishable and inhumane crimes. The complaint also stated that this amounted to cheating the citizens of the state and infringing upon their fundamental rights.
The application stated that almost all countries, including Bangladesh, provide government-sponsored vaccinations to children to prevent various infectious diseases, with the measles-rubella vaccine being one of the most important. Regular administration of this vaccine over a long period has significantly reduced the global mortality rate from measles and rubella.
The complaint stated that the Bangladesh government had been importing various vaccines, including measles-rubella, through UNICEF from the outset. However, after the interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus took office, the import of measles-rubella vaccines through UNICEF was halted. Simultaneously, although initiatives were taken to procure vaccines through an open tender, the protracted nature of this process led to a vaccine crisis.
The application further claimed that Rana Flowers, UNICEF’s Bangladesh representative, stated in an interview published on May 20 that the interim government’s health department had been warned multiple times about a potential measles-rubella vaccine crisis. Additionally, requests were made not to discontinue the existing vaccine import system. It was alleged that despite warnings being issued in several meetings regarding this matter, the concerned officials did not take them into account.
Consequently, a large number of children in the country were deprived of their scheduled measles-rubella vaccinations, leading to a measles outbreak. The application stated that from March 15 to June 4, 75,708 children were admitted to various hospitals across the country with measles. Government figures also indicated that approximately 610 children died during this period.
The application further mentioned that beyond those admitted to hospitals, many more children in various parts of the country were affected by measles, a significant portion of whom were not included in official government statistics. This resulted in affected families having to incur substantial expenses for treatment, and the state also bore considerable costs.
The application cited examples of several child deaths, stating that these fatalities occurred due to the vaccine shortage and measles outbreak. The complainant claimed that this situation arose due to the negligence of duty, wrong decisions, and malicious actions of the concerned parties, endangering the lives of millions of children and causing significant losses to the state and its citizens.
The application further stated that although the current government subsequently arranged for emergency vaccine supplies, the concerned parties cannot evade responsibility for the damage caused by the delay in vaccine availability. Therefore, the application sought necessary legal action and maximum punishment against the defendants for endangering the lives of children.
