The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has extended its distribution of body bags and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to include many different first responder agencies across Bangladesh so that they can readily respond to the current COVID-19 situation and any emergency that may occur in the future.
Proper and dignified management of the dead is key to dealing with emergencies and crises, ICRC said on Monday adding that it is key for organisations and authorities to be prepared for emergency situations before they arise.
Not only does it preserve the dignity of the deceased and eases the pain of the family, it also helps to ensure that people do not go missing due to system errors, it said.
Hence, ICRC said, the objective of such a distribution is to support Bangladesh in this time of need to help ensure the safe and dignified management of the dead and the safety of those tasked with the job of treating them.
The ICRC has planned to donate around 5,000 body bags and close to 160,000 items of PPE in a series of distributions across Bangladesh.
The first round of donations, over 2,600 body bags and 60,000 PPEs, is being undertaken this week, with materials being handed over to 16 organisations and agencies, including the Bangladesh Fire Service & Civil Defence, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard, Rapid Action Battalion, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital, Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Hospital, Sadar hospital in Cox’s Bazar, Al-Markazul Islami, Quantum Foundation, Rahmate Alam Foundation, Anjuman Mufidul Islam, and Buddhist welfare trust.
Jenny Hughes, ICRC Forensic Specialist said these donations are part of a larger plan of action to support the strengthening of contingency planning and building the capacity of first responders, because a proactive response is always better than a reactive one.
"In the coming weeks, the ICRC will be doing a number of distributions across Bangladesh, while further supporting these organisations with training and technical support for the future.”
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh in 2020, the ICRC is working with organisations and authorities across the country to provide critical materials needed to afford dignified management of the dead as well as to provide safety for those organisations.