The US has provided over $22 million till date to complement the government’s ongoing efforts to prepare and contain the spread of COVID-19.
The assistance is aimed to improve rapid diagnosis, increase knowledge and dispel myths and misconceptions about the disease, and support heroic frontline, including FSCD first responders, who risk their lives daily, a spokesperson of the US Embassy said on Monday.
As part of the process, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller and representatives of the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command, on Monday, handed over essential personal protective equipment (PPE) to officials of the Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD).
Director of The FSCD, LTC Zulfiker Rahman and Assistant Director Mohammed Abdul Momen received the assistance.
The donated equipment delivered, on Monday, includes 1,000 KN95 surgical masks, 800 200-milliliter bottles of hand sanitisers, 500 pairs of surgical gloves, 300 hazardous materials (HAZMAT) suits, 100 protective masks, and 50 medical goggles.
The Bangladesh Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) will distribute the PPE equipment to FSCD first responders.
The US Embassy in Dhaka continues working in close partnership with the government of Bangladesh on a range of programmes to identify and alleviate critical medical shortages across the country, the Embassy spokesperson said.
These include on the distribution of PPE and other medical supplies to Bangladesh first responders and designated COVID-19 medical treatment facilities.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the US government has committed to more than $900 million worldwide in emergency health, humanitarian, economic, and development assistance specifically aimed at helping governments, international organisations, and NGOs fight the pandemic.
This funding will save lives by improving public health education, protecting healthcare facilities, and increasing laboratory, disease-surveillance, and rapid-response capacity in more than 120 countries.
In Bangladesh, the $22 million in funding builds on more than $1.0 billion in health assistance provided to Bangladesh over the past 20 years and underscores the long-term US commitment to ensuring access to quality, lifesaving health services for all people in Bangladesh, said the spokesperson.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com
