DHAKA, May 11, 2020 (BSS) – US Embassy here today donated essential
personal protective equipment (PPE) to Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD)
as part of U.S. assistance to Bangladesh’s COVID-19 response efforts.
US ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller and representative of the U.S.
military’s Indo-Pacific Command handed over the supply to Fire Service and
Civil Defense (FSCD) Director of Training, Planning, and Development LTC
Zulfiker Rahman and Assistant Director Mohammed Abdul Momen, a US embassy
press release said.
The equipment delivered today includes 1,000 KN95 surgical masks, 800 200-
milliliter bottles of hand sanitizer, 500 pairs of surgical gloves, 300
hazardous materials (HAZMAT) suits, 100 protective masks, and 50 medical
goggles, all of which were sourced locally from Bangladeshi companies.
The health and home affairs ministries will distribute the PPE equipment to
FSCD first responders working to protect local communities against the spread
of COVID-19, said the release.
To date, the U.S. government has provided over $22 million to complement
the government of Bangladesh’s ongoing efforts to prepare and respond to the
spread of COVID-19 to improve rapid diagnosis, increase knowledge and dispel
myths and misconceptions about the disease.
The fund has been also utilizing to sport heroic frontline including first
responders like fire fighters, who risk their lives daily to protect everyone
in Bangladesh, the release said and added that the PPE will enable FSCD first
responders to respond quickly and safely to individuals who may be displaying
COVID-19 symptoms.
The FSCD first responders, together with health care workers, police,
journalists and photojournalists, people who work in grocery stores and
pharmacies and other businesses, and in non-governmental and community
organizations, perform remarkable acts of service every day, the release said
quoting Ambassador Miller – “You are all genuine heroes … You deserve our
immense gratitude.”
The US Embassy Dhaka continues working in close partnership with Bangladesh
government on a range of programs to identify and alleviate critical medical
shortages across the country, including on the distribution of PPE and other
medical supplies to Bangladesh first responders and designated COVID-19
medical treatment facilities, said the release.
Today’s delivery of US funded, locally produced PPE is one of many US
Embassy Dhaka initiatives that demonstrated the US government’s continuing
commitment to the Bangladeshi people, to promoting mutual understanding
between the two countries, to and a strong partnership helping to ensure a
free and open Indo-Pacific region, it added.