Khulna BNP declares dengue prevention programmes

KHULNA, Aug 25: The Khulna city unit of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Tuesday declared programmes to help prevent dengue infections and support patients as cases rise in the southern city.

The programmes include awareness campaigns at schools and colleges, blood collection, distribution of leaflets and public announcements, with support from the party’s student wing and the Doctors’ Association of Bangladesh (DAB).

The party also plans to provide medical advice, doctors, medicines and blood-group matching services to dengue patients. Central service centres will be established in affected police station areas, along with smaller ward-based centres for low-income patients, officials said.

The programme was declared at a news conference at Khulna Press Club by BNP city unit President SM Shafiqul Alam Mona, who also chairs the Khulna Development Authority.

Mona said a medical council led by Dr Rafiqul Islam Bablu and a dengue prevention coordination council led by Md Masud Parvez Babu had been formed to oversee the initiative.

Jatiya Sangsad Whip Rakibul Islam Bokul will serve as chief adviser, while Mona will be convener and Shafiqul Alam Tuhin member secretary, according to the party.

The announcement came a day after city BNP leaders criticised Khulna City Corporation’s mosquito-control efforts. Mona sought to distance Tuesday’s programme from those remarks, saying he was absent from Monday’s meeting.

“We are not holding anyone responsible,” Mona said. “Everyone is working from their respective positions.”

Mona said the BNP wanted to work alongside Khulna City Corporation (KCC) to help dengue patients, as it did during the corona pandemic.

At Monday’s meeting, party leaders had accused authorities of failing to control mosquitoes and demanded that Khulna be declared a dengue epidemic area, according to party sources.

KCC Administrator Nazrul Islam Manju rejected the allegations, saying the corporation had conducted dengue prevention activities in 21 wards for three months.

He said officials were working with health authorities around the clock, while mosquito-control operations, cleanliness drives, fines and medical camps were being conducted.

Manju urged political leaders and residents to cooperate with authorities instead of making what he called false allegations.