An oral rehydration saline factory the government had set up in Jhenaidah district years ago never came to function, apparently for reasons tied to political antagonisms.
Construction of the factory began in the district town under a Directorate General of Health Services project in 2005, near the end of the regime led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and was completed in 2008, just before Awami League鈥檚 ascent to power.
According to the office of the civil surgeon, who heads the district-level medical treatment related all activities, letters have been sent recently to the health ministry to make the factory functional for starting ORS production.
A recent visit to the factory premises found it in an abandoned state with machinery procured for the production lying untouched and in decay, covered with plastic sheets full with dust.
Most rooms of the two-storey building were found locked, floors littered with garbage, while two ground-floor rooms were in use as a centre for the聽Expanded Programme on Immunisation, run by the Upazila Health and Family Planning Office.
Civil Surgeon Dr M Kamruzzaman said that in absence of a local production, they had to procure oral rehydration saline from Jashore and Bogura health offices that inflated costs and caused logistical challenges.
The foundation of the saline factory was laid by then lawmaker for the constituency Moshiur Rahman in 2005.
Local individuals involved in politics and cultural activities generally view that the factory never came to function because of the eternal strife between the two political adversaries.
鈥楾he prolonged closure of the factory due to political issues has deprived the district鈥檚 residents of a vital facility,鈥� local cultural figure Anwarul Islam Badsha said.
鈥楬ad it been operational, it would have significantly benefited the local population,鈥� he said.
According to the civil surgeon鈥檚 office and the 250-bed tertiary-level public hospital in Jhenaidah, the district requires around 20,000 units of oral rehydration saline each month, which are brought from Jashore and Bogura.
Experts also noted that a functioning factory could also supply neighbouring districts.
Dr M Kamruzzaman also said that while the factory鈥檚 infrastructure existed, official documentation was lacking.
鈥榃ith the necessary papers, work could begin immediately,鈥� he said, adding that the office would coordinate with the ministry and health directorate to initiate operations.