Bangladesh has sought support from Oxford Vaccine Group to establish a vaccine centre in Bangladesh.
Health Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen has sought the support from Professor Sir David Warrell, a leading figure in tropical medicine and the founding director of the Centre for Tropical Medicine in Thailand during his visit to the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford, where the AstraZeneca vaccine was developed during the Covid pandemic, a release said on Saturday.
Taking note of all the points raised by Minister Sen, Sir Andrew Pollard assured him of all cooperation in developing vaccines in Bangladesh.
They discussed the prospect of producing antivenom in Bangladesh under EDCL to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Young researchers from Bangladesh who are studying in Oxford also attended the meeting. Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK accompanied the Health Minister during the visit and the meetings.
"Dr Samanta Lal Sen visited the drug discovery unit at Oxford University, where he met with senior researchers and high-ranking officials. They discussed the potential for establishing a laboratory in Bangladesh for large-scale industrial production of vaccines," it said.
"They also talked about collaborating to provide training to scientists, doctors, and health professionals," the release added.
During the visit, the minister met with the Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard F MedSci, and discussed opportunities for establishing cooperation to create a National Vaccine Project in Bangladesh for producing vaccines in the country, said the release.
Health Minister highlighted the Bangladesh governments vision under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to provide high-quality health services for all. He also mentioned that her government aims to establish a vaccine centre in Bangladesh to produce vaccines.
Health Minister Dr Sen was in the UK on an official visit to attend the Conference on "International Response to Antimicrobial Resistance," organised by the UK Government and the Royal Society.
