US donates PPE for Bangladesh armed forces

Staff Correspondent ;

Dhaka – The US embassy in Dhaka has donated personal protective equipment among the members of Bangladesh armed forces, according to a press release.   

Ambassador Earl Miller handed the essential PPE to Lieutenant General Md Mahfuzur Rahman on Monday for distribution to the Bangladesh Armed Forces Division (AFD) as part of continued U.S. support for Bangladesh’s COVID-19 response efforts, the release said on Tuesday. 

This was the sixth in a series of planned PPE distributions from the United States to Bangladesh. 

The US, through the Departments of State, Defense, and Agriculture, USAID, and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, has provided over $56.5 million in aid to combat COVID-19 in Bangladesh.

The equipment 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. The products were purchased locally from Bangladeshi companies. 

The Bangladesh Armed Forces Division (AFD) service members are a critical part of the first line of defense 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. 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. 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 organizations, and NGOs fight the pandemic, according to the release.

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