Health charity Global Fund to suspend operation in Bangladesh

Global Fund, an international health charity, has announced the withdrawal of emergency and essential medical facilities meant for Bangladesh as the Chattogram seaport authority is not releasing its medical products due to non-payment duties and CDVAT.

The ministry of health and family welfare has failed to pay those duties and CDVAT in favour of Global Fund’s incoming shipment.

The Global Fund is working across the world to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It invests some $4 billion a year to treat HIV, TB, and malaria and ensure a healthier, safer, and equitable future for all.

Health secretary Dr Md Anwar Hossain Howlader recently in a letter to the chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Abu Hena Md. Rahmatul Muneem wrote that it was tarnishing the image of the country as the NBR was not allocating appropriate customs duty, VAT and supplementary duties to the incoming emergency medical supplies of the Global Fund.

Due to a lack of funds, the letter said, the Global Fund in Chattogram has announced to withdraw of its donation of LLIN anthelmintic tablets, deworming medical equipment, syringes and other medical supplies.

Howlader, did not mention the amount of required CD/VAT for the NBR for customs clearance of those medical supplies.

In the letter, the health secretary also sought necessary measures for customs duty, tax, VAT and Advance Income Tax waiver on those charity products entering Bangladesh. The matter has been shared with development partners such as WHO, UNICEF, JICA, GAVI and KOICA.

The letter also mentioned, with the aim of saving valuable state money, CMSD (Central Medical Stores Depot) has already started the product clearance project under its own management by accepting the self-clearance license from Dhaka Customs House on the instructions of the chief secretary to the prime minister.

An application has already been made by CMSD for receiving a reference self-clearance license from Chittagong Custom House.

Global Fund recently approved $10 million worth of Emergency Funding to help procure essential health services in Pakistan.