The medical logistics were handed over to National Board of Revenue Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem. 

The US Embassy Dhaka-donated equipment delivered includes 1,500 masks and full-body gowns.  

To date, the US government has provided nearly $37 million to complement the government of Bangladesh’s ongoing efforts to prepare and respond to the spread of COVID-19.  

Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue will distribute these to Customs inspectors and workers to protect these brave men and women against the spread of COVID-19.  

These will enable the Customs Department to continue performing their critical work of processing import and export clearances at the country’s six Customs Houses, including Chattogram and Mongla Customs House.

The US Embassy said they will continue working in close partnership with the government of Bangladesh on a range of programmes to identify and alleviate critical medical shortages across the country, including on the distribution of PPE and other medical supplies to Bangladesh first responders and designated COVID-19 medical treatment facilities.  

Today’s delivery of US-funded, locally produced PPE is one of many Embassy initiatives that demonstrates the United States’ continuing commitment to the Bangladeshi people, to promoting mutual understanding and trade between our two countries, and to a strong partnership in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region. 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the US government has committed more than $1 billion worldwide in emergency health, humanitarian, economic, and development assistance specifically aimed at helping governments, international organisations, and NGOs fight the pandemic.  

This funding saves lives by improving public health education, protecting healthcare facilities, and increasing laboratory, disease-surveillance, and rapid-response capacity in more than 120 countries.  

In Bangladesh, the nearly $37 million in funding and technical assistance builds on more than $1 billion in health assistance provided to Bangladesh over the past 20 years and underscores the long-term US commitment to ensuring access to quality, lifesaving health services for all people in Bangladesh.