Standard Chartered Bangladesh is working with SAJIDA Foundation to stand beside COVID-19 patients in Narayanganj. The SAJIDA Hospital Narayanganj, operated by SAJIDA Foundation, has been converted into a COVID-19 isolation centre, with a requisite supply of ICU facilities, ventilators, dialysis machines and PPE gear, according to a press release. The bank’s funds will go towards daily treatment cost of all COVID-19 patients kept in isolation at the hospital. Narayanganj is considered a coronavirus epicentre and has recorded the highest COVID-19 positive patients after Dhaka. The city is one of the major industrial centres of the country and greatly contributes to the economy, employment, and export earnings. The region accounts for 55 percent of the country’s total knitwear manufacturing. SAJIDA Foundation is one of the first responders to the COVID-19 crisis. The Foundation has served more than three million individuals through awareness raising, food and hygiene package distribution, agriculture value chain support, slum disinfection, portable handwashing device setup and PPE disbursement. SAJIDA’s two hospitals located in COVID-19 hotspots have treated over 15,000 patients since March. SAJIDA has also introduced an online COVID-19 symptom checker chatbot and dedicated hotline numbers to provide general and mental health consultation. Standard Chartered Bangladesh CEO Naser Ezaz Bijoy said: “We are delighted to partner with SAJIDA Foundation in supporting communities from a high-risk area. We are focused on providing wide-ranging and effective COVID-19 support programmes to vulnerable communities, as we strive to continue to live our ‘Here for good’ values.

“With the public, private and the non-governmental sector all working in tandem to tackle the pandemic, I have every confidence we will emerge from this challenge together, stronger and more resilient than ever before.”

SAJIDA Foundation CEO Zahida Fizza Kabir said: “Meaningful partnerships are crucial. This partnership with Standard Chartered Bank will enable us to extend our critical healthcare service in Narayanganj district. The COVID-19 crisis requires a united action in response and we will continue to engage all stakeholders to do so.”