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BSS-46
BANGLADESH-US-COVID
US launches e-mentoring for 4,000 doctors to manage COVID cases
DHAKA, Oct 18, 2020 (BSS) – As part of its ongoing support to Bangladesh’s response to combat pandemic, the USA government today launched an e-mentoring initiative for nearly 4,000 Bangladeshi doctors for enhancing their capacity to manage COVID-19 cases.
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller along with acting mission director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Bangladesh, John Allelo inaugurated the initiative in the capital, a US embassy press release said here.
USAID, through its MaMoni Maternal and Newborn Care Strengthening Project, has partnered with the University of New Mexico’s Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcome), a U.S.-based e-mentoring platform will deliver COVID-19 case management learning to doctors through clinical experts in Bangladesh and the US.
“I am proud the United States is part of this innovative e-mentoring initiative to strengthen Bangladesh’s health system’s capacity to manage COVID-19 cases in health care facilities.
He expressed his believe that after the training Bangladeshi doctors with enhanced capacity will be able to more effectively manage COVID-19 cases and contain the spread of the disease.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) have been selected as mentor institutes, and about 40 public and private hospitals have been selected as learner hospitals.
The learner hospitals will present their COVID-19 patients and case findings to the national professors of medicine at mentor institutes and learn from them through knowledge sharing and coaching, which will cover nearly 1,000 doctors directly.
An additional 3,000 doctors are expected to indirectly benefit by connecting to these interactive learning sessions.
In a later phase, the e-mentoring initiative will include learning and sharing sessions with the University of Michigan through its Internal Medicine Residency Program and Center for Global Health Equity which will partner with Bangladesh medical universities while these sessions will also be available to all doctors in Bangladesh.
The US government was one of the first donors to mobilize funds to support Bangladesh’s COVID-19 readiness and response efforts, contributing over $56.5 million from all agencies so far, including nearly $38 million from USAID alone for development and humanitarian assistance.
This assistance is helping to strengthen the COVID-19 testing capacity of Bangladesh laboratories and laboratory staff; improve the care given to COVID-19 patients; reduce and control the spread of the infection; and increase public knowledge and dispel myths and misconceptions about the disease.
The U.S. government, through USAID, has provided more than $8 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh since its independence.
BSS/TA/RY/1922hrs