Stop food adulteration, corruption in health sector: Muhit

Health and Family Welfare State Minister Dr MA Muhith has said that buying dialysis machines or building hospitals alone will not stop the rising number of illnesses and deaths in the country. 

He stressed the need to ensure safe and adulteration-free food for the general public.

Issuing a stern warning against corruption in the health sector, he said not a single penny allocated for public healthcare would be allowed to be lost to corruption.

Dr Muhit made the remarks while addressing a discussion as the chief guest at Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation here, marking the World Iodine Day this morning.

BSCIC, GAIN, Nutrition International and the Ministries of Industries and Health and Family Welfare jointly organised the event.

The state minister said disease prevention was a key pillar of the current government’s election manifesto for the health sector. Alongside improving healthcare services and infrastructure, food adulteration and corruption remain major obstacles to public health, he said.

He warned that despite the installation of dialysis machines and specialised hospitals in different districts, the number of people suffering from chronic diseases, including kidney ailments, would continue to rise unless food adulteration was brought to an end.

He called for a stronger role from the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection and other relevant agencies to address the problem.

Referring to tenders worth Tk 16,000 crore set to be invited in the health sector within the next few days, Dr Muhith said the current government and the prime minister would not tolerate corruption under any circumstances.

He assured that strict legal action would be taken against anyone involved in corruption, regardless of how influential the person might be.

Praising initiatives to address iodine deficiency, the state minister said collective efforts over the past few years to ensure the availability of iodised salt had significantly reduced the risk of intellectual disabilities.

However, according to a 2026 survey, around 12 per cent of the population still consume non-iodised salt. He stressed the need for targeted research to identify this population and ensure access to iodised salt.

Dr Muhith also called for bringing children with disabilities who suffer from malnutrition under the country’s nutrition and healthcare programmes.

Noting that the rate of malnutrition among children with disabilities stands at 60 to 70 per cent, he urged the relevant organisations to give the issue greater attention.