Now CMSD seeks special allowances for its employees

The Central Medical Store Depot (CMSD) has sought incentive in the form of special allowances for its employees fighting against coronavirus amid the spread of infection, officials said.

The director of the Depot, Abu Hena Morshed Zaman recently sent a memo to the Finance Division’s senior secretary Abdul Rouf Talukder seeking his approval to this end.

Officials of the Finance Division said the performance of the Depot could be dubbed ‘excellent’ compared to what it was a year ago.

The implementation rate of different product procurement for the Depot and distribution of vaccines and covid-19 detection kits were up to the mark, FD officials said.

Sources in the FD said as a matter of fact, additional secretary Abu Hena Morshed Zaman of the Ministry of Finance last year joined the Central Medical Stores Depot after Brigadier General Md Shahidullah was removed from his post due to colossal corruption allegations in his tenure.

According to the CMSD memo, a total of 28 staff and officials have been infected by Covid-19 due to their hard work, day and night, without weekly holidays.

As per a procurement plan, CMSD has completed 86 per cent of the total purchases this year, the letter cited.

CMSD website claimed that after the appointment of the incumbent director, CMSD broke apart a syndicate of suppliers and the Depot was able to save Tk 190 crore from procurement of various products.

Earlier, the syndicate had supplied to CMSD a PPE with Tk 1,250 to Tk 2,350, but currently a PPE is being bought with only Tk 360, while KN95 Mask at only Tk 75.

Now, CMSD procured high flow Nasal cannula for Tk 2,60,000 while the Depot had paid Tk 8,60,000 previously.

An oxygen cylinder is now being procured at only Tk 13,000 which was previously bought at Tk 25,500.

On June 8, CMSD distributed 417 ICU beds, 522 high flow nasal cannulas, 5,590 oxygen cylinders and 33,35,387 PPEs to various public hospitals across the country for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

Last April, the government announced to provide two months’ of basic salary as incentive to the doctors and other health workers---dubbed ‘front line fighters’ in the war on Covid-19. In the last fiscal year, the budget had allocated Tk 100 crore to this end.

CMSD came under scanner for delivering ordinary masks mislabeled as N95 masks to the government hospitals during the heightened Covid-19 infection.

Later, the government launched an investigation into the scam.