India hands over 3rd tranche of medical supply to Bangladesh

India has handed over third tranche of emergency medical assistance to Bangladesh to help the country in containing the spread of COVID-19.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das handed over the supply, consisting 30,000 RT-PCR Covid-19 test kits, to foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at foreign ministry here today, said a press release of Indian high commission here.

During the meeting, Indian envoy informed that these RT-PCR test kits are domestically manufactured in India by 'My Lab Discovery Solutions Private
Limited' and is widely used in India for Covid-19 detection.

She noted that Bangladesh is the first country to receive these test kits from India on priority, which reflects the importance of Dhaka to New Delhi.

Recalling the time-tested friendship between the two countries, Momen appreciated India's help for the three tranches of assistance following the outbreak of the pandemic.

The test kits were brought to Bangladesh in an Indigo cargo flight and dispatched to the Institute of Epidemiological Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

The first tranche of Indian emergency medical assistance containing 30,000 surgical masks and 15,000 head caps was handed over to Bangladesh on March 25 while the second one consisting of 50,000 sterile surgical latex gloves and 1,00,000Hydroxychloroquine medicine tablets arrived here on April 26.

On April 29, during his telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Indian premier Narendra Modi ensured India's readiness to help Bangladesh in containing the spread of COVID-19 and in mitigating health and economic impact of the pandemic, said the release.

Earlier on March 15, NarendraModi took an initiative to hold a video conference with leaders of other SAARC countries including Sheikh Hasina with a view to taking a collaborative regional approach to contain the outbreak of COVID-19.

Later, the Indian premier declared SAARC Covid-19 Emergency Fund allocating Indian 10 million dollars initially which was later contributed by other south Asian nations including Bangladesh.