IS it not ludicrous that an oral saline factory that took six years to be completed has been lying unutilised for the last five years? The total expenditure for the project was nearly Tk 1 crore and was inaugurated by the prime minister in Madan Mohonpara of Jhenaidah district back in October 2013. We find it ironic that the ministry of health has not made any move to preserve either the building or the fixtures over this period of time and the structure has started to decay due to neglect. While there is great need for oral saline in Jhenaidah and adjoining districts, the concerned ministry appears least bothered about it.

There are several questions that need to be answered. Firstly, why was the factory constructed in the first place? And secondly, why has it not been made operational even after five years of its completion? Is this the manner in which we tackle public health issues? The district where the factory is located needs around 100,000 packets of oral saline per month. So, there is no question of lack of demand for the product this factory was designed to produce.

What we are witnessing is the overwhelming enthusiasm of the ministry for building construction with little by way of planning the personnel who would be needed to manage and run a facility. The ministry of health should take immediate steps to make the factory operational so that the needs of the district are better served and the funds expended actually do some good for public health.