It was encouraging to see our dysfunctional parliament be enlivened for once with the type of challenging questions that ought to be asked in the great parliamentary hall. As this newspaper reported on Tuesday, during a parliamentary discussion on the supplementary budget for fiscal year 2020-21, opposition lawmakers heavily criticised the health ministry for its failure to curb corruption and ensure healthcare for people amid the Covid-19 pandemic. They also demanded increased budgetary allocation for the health sector and its proper utilisation.

Since the pandemic began, we have seen the health ministry perform disastrously. The sector has been plagued by one incident of corruption after another, including in the procurement of basic safety items such as masks and PPEs, the issuance of fake Covid certificates, private hospitals operating without proper licence, etc. Furthermore, it has been revealed how syndicates, in collusion with ministry officials, had been carrying out systemic corruption even at the height of the pandemic. In response, we have seen the authorities basically do nothing—a handful of officials were transferred, while others were similarly let off the hook with a slap on the wrist. And this is what has allowed corruption to flourish.

Instead of addressing the corruption, we have constantly been hearing top health officials make lofty promises and, time and again, failing to deliver on them. The MPs also criticised the government in this regard, particularly in reference to the procurement of vaccines and the mystery surrounding when they will arrive in Bangladesh and when a large proportion of the population can finally be vaccinated.

The poor budgetary allocation to the health sector was another item of discussion in the parliament. Amid the pandemic, India increased its allocation for the health sector by 137 percent in this year's budget, while in Bangladesh, it has been raised by only 12 percent. We understand that part of the reason for this is the woeful track record of the health ministry in properly utilising funds allocated to the health sector. But why isn't that being addressed? If officials in the health ministry are this inept, then why aren't they replaced? Why isn't anyone being held accountable for all this incompetence?

For months we have been asking the same questions that were raised in parliament by the MPs, in these columns. But unfortunately, we are yet to get any satisfactory answers. We can only hope this prompts the authorities to react and take the matter seriously.

Our healthcare sector is in shambles and the responsibility for that comes solely down onto the shoulders of the corrupt health officials, and the authorities that have allowed them to continue with their corruption without taking any action. This can no longer be allowed. Transparency and accountability must be brought back to the health sector. Corruption must be rooted out, and the health sector must be made efficient enough for it to effectively absorb the entire budgetary allocation.