Standing Committee on Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

parliamentary_committee · partial (verified 2026-05-17)

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Head: —
Role: Chairman
Annual budget: —
Staff: —
Established: 1972
Legal basis: Constitution of Bangladesh, Article 76 (standing committees shall be appointed for each ministry); Jatiya Sangsad Rules of Procedure, Rules 190-230 (standing committees on ministries, constitution, quorum, powers of summoning witnesses, reporting to parliament).

As of 17 May 2026, the Standing Committee on Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is constitutionally mandated but its chairman and membership for the 13th parliament have not been publicly confirmed; no ministry-level standing committee was constituted during the first parliamentary session (12 March to 30 April 2026). The ministry it shadows is simultaneously managing three interlocked public health crises inherited from the Yunus interim government: (1) a nationwide measles outbreak that has killed more than 344 confirmed children with over 55,000 suspected cases since mid-March 2026, caused by a procurement method shift away from UNICEF direct supply that left EPI stocks empty; (2) a contraceptive stockout affecting roughly one third of 64 districts, with condoms unavailable in 394 upazilas and oral pills in 337 upazilas, expected only partially restored by June and fully by August 2026; and (3) sustained public and civil society demand for DGHS institutional accountability, with an ACC complaint filed and a government-international probe body under formation.

Recent activity

2026-03-12 other 13th Jatiya Sangsad opened its first session. Only five procedural standing committees were formed on the opening day (Business Advisory Committee, Parliamentary Committee, Special Committee on Bills, Privileges Committee, Private Members' Bills Committee). Ministry-level standing committees, including for Health and Family Welfare, were deferred pending a 14-member special scrutiny committee that operated in the interim. ↗↗
2026-03-15 audit A catastrophic measles resurgence began spreading across all eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh; WHO later confirmed that between 15 March and 29 April 2026 alone, 35,980 suspected cases, 4,944 laboratory-confirmed cases, and 227 suspected measles-related deaths were recorded across 58 of 64 districts, with nine in ten cases in children aged 1-14. The outbreak traced to a total EPI vaccine stockout triggered by the 2024-25 interim government's abrupt shift away from UNICEF direct procurement to open tender, a change made against explicit UNICEF advice and resulting in zero vaccine deliveries through either channel. ↗↗↗
2026-04-05 policy Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain announced a nationwide emergency Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign targeting children aged six months to five years, aiming to reach 95 percent coverage. The campaign launched in Dhaka on April 5 and extended to the rest of the country by April 12, with nearly 18 million children reached within the first month. ↗↗
2026-04-12 legal Supreme Court lawyer Biplob Kumar Das filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Commission alleging corruption and procurement failures in EPI vaccine management under the Yunus interim government. Health Minister Sakhawat separately inaugurated the national emergency MR vaccination campaign, blaming the outbreak jointly on the Hasina government's deferred supplemental campaign (planned 2024, cancelled due to political unrest) and the Yunus administration's procurement method change. ↗↗
2026-04-22 audit Bangladesh Pratidin reported a 'Red Alert' in the national birth-control supply chain: condoms unavailable in 394 upazilas, oral contraceptive pills stockedout in 337 upazilas, IUDs and injectables depleted in approximately one third of districts. The Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) attributed the crisis to a procurement collapse during the 2024 political upheaval and subsequent administrative disruption. ↗↗
2026-04-30 other First session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad prorogued after 25 sittings (12 March to 30 April 2026). Five standing committees and two special committees had been formed during the session, but no ministry-specific standing committee chairman or membership had been publicly announced, including for Health and Family Welfare. ↗↗
2026-05-11 audit Government data showed the measles outbreak death toll had climbed to at least 344 children since mid-March, with total suspected cases exceeding 55,000 and Save the Children citing more than 400 suspected measles deaths. The scale of the crisis drew sustained calls from civil society and editorial boards for parliamentary inquiry into DGHS governance failures and procurement accountability. ↗↗↗
2026-05-13 statement Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain stated at the Secretariat that those found responsible for the measles crisis would be held accountable after a government-commissioned investigation (including international organisations) concluded. On the same day, AFP reported the contraceptive crisis had spread to approximately one third of districts; the Director of Family Planning, Mohammad Abdul Kalam, told AFP supplies of oral pills and condoms had been secured and would reach health centres by June, with full supply chain restoration expected by August 2026. ↗↗↗

Provenance & notes

The Standing Committee on Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is constitutionally mandated under Article 76 of the Bangladesh Constitution and is governed by Jatiya Sangsad Rules of Procedure (Rules 190-230). The slug 'standing-committee-on-ministry-of-health-and-family-planning' is the gov_tracker identifier; the ministry's official current name is 'Ministry of Health and Family Welfare' (mohfw.gov.bd), unchanged under the Tarique Rahman government formed 17 February 2026. The committee oversees both health (DGHS) and family planning (DGFP) directorates under the same ministry. Health Minister is Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain (BNP, Narsingdi-4), sworn in 17 February 2026 with the 49-member Tarique Rahman cabinet. Under the 11th parliament (2019-2024), the committee was chaired by an Awami League MP; for the 13th parliament (13th JS election: 12 February 2026; sworn: 17 February 2026; first session: 12 March to 30 April 2026), only five procedural committees were constituted during the first session; no ministry-level standing committee, including for Health and Family Welfare, has been formally announced as of 17 May 2026. current_head and head_since are null accordingly. verification_status = partial because committee chairman and membership are unconfirmed for the 13th parliament, and the parliament.gov.bd committee member page (committee ID 142) reflects prior parliament data. The three dominant live issues under the committee's oversight scope are: (a) the measles outbreak (mid-March 2026 onset, 55,000+ suspected cases, 344+ confirmed child deaths as of 11 May 2026, root cause: EPI vaccine procurement failure by the Yunus interim government that abandoned UNICEF direct procurement for open tender against UNICEF advice, resulting in stockouts of vaccines for measles and six other diseases); (b) contraceptive stockout (condoms unavailable in 394 upazilas, oral pills in 337 upazilas as of April 2026, root cause: procurement collapse during 2024 political upheaval, restoration target June-August 2026); (c) DGHS institutional accountability (ACC complaint filed 12 April 2026, government-international probe body announced, PM Tarique Rahman acknowledged failures in parliament blaming both Hasina and Yunus administrations, Health Minister pledged accountability after investigation). Bangladesh's fertility rate has edged from 2.3 to 2.4 per UN data, a reversal attributed partly to the contraceptive shortage.

Standing Committee on Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

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