DHAKA, July 21, 2020 (BSS) – The USA embassy here has donated essential personal protective equipment (PPE) to Bangladesh Armed Forces Division (AFD) as part of continued US support for Bangladesh’s COVID-19 response efforts.
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller and representatives of the US Military’s Indo-Pacific Command handed over the supply to AFD’s chief Principal Staff Officer Lieutenant General Md Mahfuzur Rahman in the capital on Monday, a US Embassy press release said here today.
The supply includes 1,200 KN95 surgical masks, 8,000 washable face masks, 3,000 200-milliliter bottles of hand sanitizer, 9,000 pairs of surgical gloves, 600 reusable HAZMAT suits, 100 disposable HAZMAT suits, and 500 face shields, all of which the USA purchased locally from Bangladeshi companies, it said.
As the first line of defence against COVID-19, the AFD personnel are playing a key role in Bangladesh’s pandemic response, supporting the public and health ministry initiatives throughout the country including the opening of military hospitals to the public in support of coronavirus treatment, said the US embassy.
This donation is in addition to recent contributions from the U.S. Embassy to the Bangladesh Ministry of Social Welfare, Bangladesh Customs Department officials, Kamalapur Railway General Hospital, and Bangladesh’s Fire Service and Civil Defence.
The United States remains committed to working in partnership alongside Bangladesh to fight this pandemic and to further strengthening our countries’ already deep ties, said the release.
To date, the United States, through the Departments of State, Defence, and Agriculture, USAID, and the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention, has provided over $56.5 million in aid to combat COVID-19 in Bangladesh.
The US Embassy Dhaka is providing assistance to organisations throughout Bangladesh, building on more than $1 billion in health assistance provided to Bangladesh over the past 20 years that emphasizes long-term US commitment to helping ensure access for all countrymen to quality and lifesaving healthcare.