The US Embassy in Dhaka donated essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Bangladesh Prison Directorate as part of continued U.S. support for Bangladesh’s Covid-19 response efforts. US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller on Monday handed over the supply to Inspector General Prisons Brigadier General AKM Mustafa Kamal Pasha in the capital, a US Embassy press release said.
The supply includes 10,000 reusable cloth masks, 200 full hazardous materials suits, 50 KN95 surgical masks, 660 200-milliliter bottles of hand sanitizer, 11,000 pairs of surgical gloves, 25 Kg of powdered bleach, 2 disinfectant backpack sprayers, 100 face shields, and 10 infrared thermometers, while all of which were purchased locally from Bangladeshi companies. The Bangladesh Prison Directorate is a critical partner in safeguarding a vulnerable population against Covid-19 as it supports the public and health ministry’s initiatives throughout the country.
“U.S. Embassy Dhaka is proud to donate this essential PPE to Bangladesh Prison corrections officers and staff working at the various institutions across the country,” said the press release. This is the sixth in a series of planned PPE distributions by the US Embassy as so far, the USA has provided over $56.5 million in aid to combat Covid-19 in Bangladesh.
This donation is in addition to previous donations from the US Embassy, including recent contributions to Bangladesh Customs Department officials, Kamalapur Railway General Hospital, USAID’s food security programmes, Armed Forces Division, Bangladesh Police Headquarters, and Bangladesh’s Fire Service and Civil Defence.
The US remains committed to working in partnership alongside Bangladesh to fight this pandemic to further strengthening our countries’ already deep ties, the release added. 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, lifesaving healthcare.
