COVID-19: US hands over medical supplies to Bangladesh

The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), delivered to Bangladesh its most recent shipment of emergency medical supplies to save lives, stop the spread of COVID-19.

The U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller handed over the emergency medical supplies to the representatives of Bangladesh.

Toufiq Islam Shatil, Director General, Americas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Kabir Ahmed, Joint Secretary, Economic Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of Finance; Professor Dr. Mohammad Robed Amin, Line Director, Non-Communicable Disease Control (NCDC); Dr. Md. Zahidul Islam, Deputy Director, Hospitals from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS); and Dr. Moinul Ahsan, Civil Surgeon, Dhaka, were present at that time.

The emergency medical supplies include critical personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals and other frontline workers, as well as fingertip pulse oximeters which, by measuring patients’ blood oxygen levels, help better manage and determine timely critical care interventions.

This latest delivery brings the total of U.S. pandemic assistance to more than $84 million.

“For 50 years, the United States has stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Bangladesh.  We will continue to fight this pandemic with Bangladesh until the crisis is over.” said Ambassador Miller.

On June 3, the White House announced its plan to share vaccines directly with Bangladesh as part of a framework to provide 80 million U.S. vaccine doses globally by the end of the month.  This includes 7 million doses destined for Asia.

Also this month, USAID sent two more flights, one of which was also supported by the U.S. Department of Defense, with additional personal protective equipment to Dhaka to support Bangladesh’s response efforts. Together, these deliveries build on the United States’ ongoing efforts to mitigate the challenges posed by the pandemic in Bangladesh.