ADB approves $100m in virus loans for Bangladesh

The Asian Development Bank has approved a $100 million loan to support Bangladesh in its efforts to address the immediate public health requirements of combatting the novel coronavirus disease pandemic.

“ADB stands with Bangladesh in this difficult time when the COVID-19 pandemic challenges the country’s recent successes in its socioeconomic development,” ADB Vice-President Shixin Chen said in a statement on Thursday.

“This project will help strengthen Bangladesh’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak by providing urgently needed health equipment, medical supplies, diagnostic systems, and upgrading of the capacity of the health workforce.”

The COVID-19 Response Emergency Assistance Project will support the immediate procurement of equipment and supplies for testing; upgrade of medical infrastructure; and the development of system and community capacities for surveillance, prevention, and response to the pandemic in Bangladesh.

The project will equip 17 medical college hospitals with isolation and critical care units. Capacity and quality of at least 19 laboratories will be upgraded with COVID-19 microbiological diagnostic facilities. At least 3,500 health sector workers, about 50% of whom are women, will be trained in modern skills and knowledge, and the recruitment of more health professionals and technical staff will be supported.

As an immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ADB has released a $350,000 emergency grant for the procurement of medical supplies and equipment, and $1.3 million from an existing project to provide one-time cash support to 22,619 trainees to enable them to continue their ongoing skills training program.

Additional grant assistance is also being explored to support the purchase of urgently needed medical supplies.