Japan will provide 537 million yen in grant aid for procurement of 50 million doses of oral polio vaccines for Bangladesh through UNICEF, reports UNB.

An 'Exchange of Notes' was signed between Japan and UNICEF at the conference room I] of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare here today with Health Secretary MM Reza in the chair.

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yoshikazu Kaneko and officer in charge of UNICEF Dominic Million! signed the Exchange Notes on benalf of the respective parties.

Senior officials of the Health Ministry and representatives of the concerned organisations were present.

These polio vaccines will be used during the National Immunization Days (NIDs), sched-, ulcd for early November and December this year.

The Japanese Cabinet approved the grant in last July.

The grant will enable procurement of more than 90 per cent of the vaccine requirement for this year’s NIDs. as well as ensure the effective utilisation of the vaccines, says an official handout.