Foreign aid utilisation

AID is a vital commodity for developing countries in the sense that it is necessary to plug resource gaps caused by imbalance between exports and to have funds for developmental financing. There are also allegations against aid. Almost a theory has been developed by Third World economists that foreign aid is but a strategy of the donor countries to keep the recipient countries perpetually indebted.
In all fairness, it must be admitted that there are germs of truth also in these views. But notwithstanding the views, the reality is that foreign aid is too important a part of the resource flows in many developing countries, any sudden denial or reduction of which can have serious adverse repercussions on national economics. It is also true that despite growing indebtedness and debt-related problems most of the aid receiving developing countries could substantially increase their infrastructure, utilities, services and quality of lives of their people by using foreign aid.
A country like Bangladesh can indeed much expand its production activities, rapidly increase its economic growth leading to greater employment, wealth and earnings for its people by utilising aid resources quickly and efficiently. But the trend of aid utilisation in this country has been far short of expectations, to say the least. Ever since the creation of Bangladesh, no ADP was satisfactorily implemented. The rate of ADP utilisation has hardly ever been in the neighbourhood of even seventy per cent. The poor rate of ADP utilisation speaks volumes about the state of government machinery.
From efficient aid utilisation alone, Bangladesh could come up fast into the ranks of the middle income or semi-developed countries by now. Proper aid utilisation could significantly increase the country's economic capacities by setting up vital infrastructures in support of all kinds of economic activities. Unfortunately, this did not happen and billions of dollars in aid money that came to Bangladesh returned to donor countries after remaining long in the pipe line because Bangladesh ironically lacked absorption capacities', as its officialdom explained it.
But what was sought to be explained away as lack of absorption capacities is really a euphemism for inefficiency, corruption and callous disinterest. Selection of projects of dubious value, delays in implementing projects, incomplete projects from inordinate delays and irrational cost escalation, pervasive corruption, etc., haunt the use of foreign aid in Bangladesh. So, the donors have been insisting that the government in Bangladesh should carry out deep cleansing reforms in its various departments and sectors of the economy so that absorption capacity of aid can increase and the benefits to be generated from aided projects can be fully experienced by the economy.
They have been stressing reforms of the government administration, similar reforms in the financial sectors, in the running and establishment of new infrastructure, to name only some areas of concern. Government leaders, too, have been repeatedly assuring the donors about the carrying out of such reforms only to disappoint later by doing nothing or doing only very little to this end. For the faster development of the country and for really accelerating the rate of economic growth, the issue of proper aid utilisation must be addressed effectively in all its aspects at the earliest.

   Ensuring safe blood

Many serious patients need blood transfusion in course of medical treatment to save life, but availability of safe blood continues to remain a big problem An estimated 100,000 people are being infected with hepatitis-B and syphilis every year due to unsafe blood transfusion both at public and private levels, according to findings of Bangladesh Health Watch. The health watch report, third of its kind first launched in 2006, reveals that among the numerous hospitals and clinics in the country, only four percent implement government's 'safe blood transfusion programmes'. It said the estimated annual demand for 'whole blood' varies from 250,000 to 350,000 bags of 350 to 450 milliliters per year and hardly half of those are screened as per mandatory government guidelines to test hepatitis B and C, syphilis and malarial parasites before any transfusion.
A recent study shows, the country still highly relies on professional blood donors, who meet 70 percent of blood demands commercially, putting ailing people in a grave danger of infection from transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) that also include HIV/AIDS.
It says at least one in three professional blood donors suffer from different communicable diseases, which can be easily transmitted to ailing people through such unsafe transfusions.
In other words transfusion of unsafe blood for medical treatment of patients rather causes spread of diseases instead of helping recovery. This is very alarming specially because there is no improvement in the situation despite demands being made by different circles for corrective measures. The government should take up the matter seriously to stop transfusion of unsafe blood and also make public awareness about this. The doctors working in hospitals also can play an effective role in this regard. All concerned should work hard to ensure transfusion of only safe blood in patients' bodies.