Embattled Director General of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Abul Kalam Azad has resigned amid criticisms over irregularities and mismanagement in the health sector.

He submitted his resignation letter to the Secretary of the Public Administration Ministry, confirmed Abdul Manan, Secretary to the Health Service Division, UNB reports.

Dr Azad got the appointment on September 1, 2016, after former DG Prof Dr Deen Muhammad Nurul Haque went on retirement.

Later, on March 17, 2019, his appointment was extended for two more years on contractual basis. Azad’s tenure was scheduled to expire in April, 2021.

Meanwhile, numerous incidents of mismanagement and irregularities in the health sector got exposed when physicians of some government hospitals, including Mugda General Hospital, complained of receiving low-quality masks and protective equipment.

Then issuance of fake Covid-19 certificates by some hospitals triggered huge criticisms at home and abraod.

The scandal came to light with a drive at Regent Hospitals on July 6 and the Regent Group head office along with its hospitals was subsequently sealed off.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Regent Hospital chairman Mohammad Shahed from Komorpur border in Debhata upazila of Satkhira district early July 15 on charge of issuing fake Covid-19 certificates.

On June 23, police arrested six people, including JKG Healthcare’s chairman Dr Sabrina Sharmin Hussain, from the JKG Healthcare office of Confidence Tower of Gulshan in connection with a case filed over issuing fake Covid-19 certificates.

Later, on Monday night, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested the managing director of Shahabuddin Medical College Hospital (SMCH) Faisal Al Islam from a local residential hotel in the city’s Gulshan area on charge of fraudulence and forging Covid-19 test reports.

Rab made the arrest after they found various irregularities, including unauthorised kits for Covid-19 test, providing fake test reports and having expired medicines at SMCH.