US provides $22m to complement Bangladesh’s Covid-19 response

The US has provided over $22 million to complement Bangladesh's ongoing efforts in preparing and responding to the spread of novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

"This funding builds on more than $1 billion in health assistance provided to Bangladesh over the past 20 years and underscores long-term US commitment to ensuring access to quality, lifesaving health services for all people in Bangladesh," US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller said today.

The assistance is part of the funding that the US government has committed since the outbreak of Covid-19 worldwide to improve public health education, protect healthcare facilities, and increase laboratory, disease-surveillance, and rapid-response capacity in more than 120 countries.

USAID today formally launched an online training course on Covid-19 for Bangladeshi doctors. The online course created jointly by the USAID, health ministry and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) provides doctors with useful information on the virus, a US embassy statement said.

The contents include ways of dealing with Covid-19 as a health professional while ensuring one's own protection and safety, and can be accessed for free by doctors anywhere in Bangladesh through the government's e-learning platform Muktopaath.

The activity is being implemented by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Communication Programs, and the online platform is managed by Access to information (a2i), a cabinet division under the Bangladesh Government's ICT division that supports the government's digital Bangladesh agenda.

At the launch, Earl Miller said, "Ramadan reminds us to think about and thank the front-line workers of this crisis. They perform remarkable acts of service every day – health care workers, police, people who work in grocery stores and pharmacies and other businesses, so we have what we need to care for ourselves and our families.

"I would add journalists. You provide what any vibrant democracy needs, especially in times of crisis – objective information, facts and the truth. The work of journalists, photojournalists, and media outlets often comes with sacrifice, including here in Bangladesh…You are all genuine heroes … You deserve our immense gratitude."

The United States was one of the first countries in the world to provide funds for Bangladesh's Covi-19 readiness and response efforts.

"Our support in response to Covid-19 reaffirms the United States' long-term commitment to Bangladesh," Miller said.