00:00 In March 2020,
00:01 the first case of COVID was detected in Bangladesh.
00:05 Within three weeks,
00:07 the World Bank mobilized $100 million US dollars
00:10 to help the country in its emergency response.
00:13 $500 million in additional funding
00:16 helped the vaccination effort in March 2021.
00:19 The project was instrumental
00:22 in helping the government secure critical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
00:27 Liquid medical oxygen systems were set up
00:30 in 30 public hospitals across the country,
00:33 vital to serving patients with COVID
00:35 and other respiratory illnesses.
00:38 Personal protective equipment
00:40 like masks,
00:41 goggles,
00:42 and coveralls were supplied to frontline workers.
00:46 Hundreds of ICU beds were installed and
00:48 ventilators were deployed across the country.
00:51 15 million doses of COVID vaccines were administered
00:55 by the end of 2021,
00:57 with over 100 million syringes helping
01:01 in the vaccination effort.
01:03 Now we look ahead
01:04 with pandemic management as a priority.
01:08 The World Bank is helping expand ICU and laboratory capacity and training.
01:13 This will help Bangladesh address the current pandemic and be
01:16 prepared for future risks with strong and resilient health systems.
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Within three weeks of the first COVID-19 case in Bangladesh, the World Bank approved $100 million in emergency support to mobilize critical supplies to test, treat and manage COVID-19 cases.
- An additional $500 million financing supporting the national vaccination program, with 15 million doses of Astra Zeneca vaccines administered thus far and 110 million syringes helping in the vaccination effort.
- Support is continuing to strengthen the healthcare system to withstand future pandemics.
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Like the rest of the world, Bangladesh was also heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the country has faced challenges in procuring essential supplies with a severely constrained global supply chain. The success of the country in coping with this unprecedented crisis depended on how quickly it could mobilize essential medical supplies. So, how did the government manage?
Emergency support to manage COVID-19 cases
The World Bank approved emergency financing of $100 million in March 2020 to support the Government’s health response. The financing helped Bangladesh access critical supplies like ventilators, oxygen concentrators, hospital beds, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the front-line health workers.
The financing helped Bangladesh to ensure the following:
- Liquid medical oxygen (LMO) system was established at 30 public hospitals across the country. The centralized gas pipelines as part of the LMO systems are critical for treating people suffering from COVID-19 and other respiratory ailments.
- 300 ventilators were installed at public hospitals dealing with COVID-19 cases across the country.
- 220 beds for the intensive care unit (ICU) were set up at the Dhaka North City Corporation COVID-19 Dedicated Hospital.
- 40 ventilators, 20 oxygen concentrators and 20 pulse oximeters for the Bongomata Field Hospital at Bongobondhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Dhaka.
- Large quantities of PPE, masks, body bags, gloves, goggles, coveralls, and aprons were supplied for the protection of frontline workers.
- COVID-19 testing machines and kits used by laboratories dealing with COVID-19 samples.
Support for the National Vaccination Program
In March 2021, the World Bank stepped in with an additional $500 million, becoming the first development partner in Bangladesh to support the national vaccination program. The support so far has helped the country to administer 15 million doses of Astra Zeneca vaccines and procure 110 million syringes that are being used for administering vaccines.
Coping with future pandemics
Ongoing initiatives for building a stronger health system to respond to future emergencies include:
- Expansion of ICU capacity and isolation units at 30 public hospitals
- Setting up of modern microbiology laboratories with PCR (polymerase chain reaction is the gold standard for testing any virus) at 30 public hospitals
- Establishing national vaccine testing laboratory at the Directorate General of Drug Administration, which will pave the way for the country to approve vaccines locally following international standards as set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Since the 70s, the World Bank has been supporting the country’s health sector and will continue helping the country build a more resilient health system to better deal with future health emergencies.
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