The failure of the government to form a clear-cut policy to control/treat tuberculosis (TB) in animals has led to spread of the disease in humans.

Non-pasteurised milk is the most common carrier of this infection as mycobacterium is the main cause of tuberculosis in bovine animals, which is transmitted to humans through infected milk and milk products.

The draft National Health Policy-2009 tends to privatise and commercialise health services, viewed leaders of the Health Rights Movement National Committee at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters' Unity yesterday.

They also said country needs a people-friendly health policy, not a donor-friendly health policy.

THE government may soon bring in a national policy on vaccines that will create a separate vaccine regulatory authority and also reserve the right to manufacture vaccines for the national immunisation programme with public sector undertakings (PSUs).

K.S. Jacob

The varied disciplines involved with public health, their divergent frameworks result in different agendas. The public-private partnerships are suggestive of collusion between the stakeholders and actors with the public health agenda hijacked by powerful private players.