Protesters demand trial of Yunus over measles deaths of children in Bangladesh

The protesters called for the trial of Muhammad Yunus and for Health Advisor Nurjahan Begum, the nationalization of the healthcare system, and the immediate establishment of field hospitals for children affected by measles. They also urged students and citizens to stand united in the fight to end the commercialization of both education and healthcare. UNICEF had warned the Yunus government about the measles crisis and the mounting child deaths two months ago, yet neither Yunus nor the former Health Adviser took a single step to prevent the loss of so many young lives, said Meghmallar Bosu, Dhaka University unit President of the organisation. The Yunus government is the chief architect of this systemic killing — but the present government must also answer for its share of the blame, he said. Meanwhile, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) on Saturday demanded punishment of former chief adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and former health adviser Nurjahan Begum, holding them responsible for the deaths of more than 300 children from measles, reported The Daily Star, another leading English language national newspaper published from Dhaka. Addressing the rally, former CPB general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince expressed deep anger and concern over the deaths linked to measles and its complications. He said experts had presented evidence that the tragedy occurred due to negligence by the interim government led by Yunus. Prince noted that Bangladesh had long been recognised globally for its exemplary child immunisation programme. “Today, because of the Yunus governments indifference, these children have died. Yet the authorities remain mysteriously silent about those responsible,” he said, demanding the trial of Yunus, Nurjahan, and others involved. Alleging that at least 300 children have died across the country due to a measles outbreak, the student organization Biplobi Chhatra Moitree also demanded an impartial investigation and the trial of Yunus and Begum. They also called for measles to be declared an epidemic and urged immediate, nationwide emergency measures to control its spread. UNICEF had warned the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of a looming vaccine shortage in Bangladesh months before the crisis deepened but the government did not pay heed to the warning. In a letter sent on Feb 10, two days before the parliamentary election, UNICEF Representative in Dhaka Rana Flowers urged former health advisor Nurjahan Begum to take immediate action to avoid a “major vaccine crisis,” reported the bdnews24.com, a leading news agency in Dhaka. Six children died with measles-like symptoms across the country in the 24 hours until 8:00am Monday, pushing the number of suspected measles-related deaths to 350 since March 15, according to the Directorate General of Health Services, reported New Age, another leading English language daily in Bangladesh.