The government has initiated the formulation of the 'Bangladesh National Medical Oxygen Roadmap (2026-2030)' to ensure the availability, quality assurance, and long-term sustainable management of medical oxygen in the country's health sector. A 27-member technical committee, chaired by State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. M. A. Muhit, has been reconstituted to draft this action plan. The notification was issued by the Health Services Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The committee includes officials from various wings of the health ministry, policy-makers from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), and representatives from the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) and the Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD). Additionally, experts from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) have been included to provide technical and expert assistance.
International development partner organizations such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF are also part of the committee. The main objective of this roadmap is to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supply at every level of the country's healthcare services.
The committee's responsibilities include controlling and ensuring the quality of medical oxygen, formulating a comprehensive national guideline and roadmap for oxygen management, and speeding up activities by co-opting experts as necessary. Additional Secretary of the Planning Wing of the Health Services Division, Shah Imam Ali Reza, will serve as the member secretary of the committee.
