US provides PPE for armed forces
The United States has provided essential personal protective equipment for distribution among members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces Division (AFD) as part of continued US support for Bangladesh’s COVID-19 response efforts, reports UNB.
US ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller and embassy representatives of the US Military’s Indo-Pacific Command have handed over the PPE to Principal Staff Officer (PSO), Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman.
This is the sixth in a series of planned PPE distributions from the United States to Bangladesh, said the US embassy in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Till date, the United States, through the Departments of State, Defence, and Agriculture, USAID, and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, has provided over $56.5 million in aid of combating COVID-19 in Bangladesh.
The US embassy Dhaka-donated equipment delivered on Monday includes 1,200 KN95 surgical masks, 8,000 washable face masks, 3,000 200-milliliter bottles of hand sanitiser, 9,000 pairs of surgical gloves, 600 reusable HAZMAT suits, 100 disposable HAZMAT suits, and 500 face shields, all of which the United States purchased locally from Bangladeshi companies.
The Bangladesh Armed Forces Division service members are a critical part of the first line of defence against COVID-19.
AFD personnel are playing a key role in Bangladesh’s COVID-19 response, supporting the public and Ministry of Health (MoH) initiatives throughout the country, including the opening of military hospitals to the public in support of COVID-19 treatment, UNB quoted the embassy as saying.
This PPE donation ensures identified first responders remain protected while they deliver safety and security for all people living in Bangladesh, it said.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the US government, through the Department of State and USAID alone, has committed more than $1.5 billion worldwide in emergency health, humanitarian, economic, and development assistance specifically aimed at helping governments, international organisations, and NGOs fight the pandemic.
The US embassy Dhaka is providing assistance to organisations throughout Bangladesh, building on more than $1 billion in health assistance delivered to Bangladesh over the past 20 years.
This funding, it said, emphasises the long-term US commitment to helping ensure access for all people in Bangladesh to quality and lifesaving healthcare.