Govt seeks US support for treatment of those injured during recent protests
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The interim government on Tuesday sought US support for the treatment and rehabilitation of those injured during the recent student-led anti-discrimination movement that toppled the Sheikh Hasina-led government, Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum said.
Nurjahan Begum made the request during a meeting with US Embassy Charge D’Affaires in Dhaka Helen LaFave met her at the secretariat.
During the meeting, the health adviser expressed hope for cooperation in the treatment and rehabilitation of those injured during the anti-discrimination movement.
Helen LaFave said that the US is interested in supporting the treatment, rehabilitation and mental health of the injured. Additionally, USAID is committed to preventing dengue outbreaks and working to improve public health at the grassroots level.
The US government agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) briefed the Health Advisor on their work in Bangladesh to prevent lead and arsenic contamination, emergency preparedness during pandemics, and other public health initiatives.
During meeting, the Charge D’Affaires was apprised of the health department’s response to recent flooding and she assured full cooperation if needed.
Health ministry senior officials were present during the meeting.
Speaking to reporters recently in the capital Dhaka, the Health Adviser said that so far over 1,000 people had been killed and over 400 students had lost their sight, with many blinded in one or both eyes.
Meanwhile, the government has already contacted SEBA, a US-based charity, and sent a list of those with eye injuries to it.
The charity assured that it would send doctors to Bangladesh for treatment of the protesters with eye injuries as soon as possible.
The injured are to be treated at the Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute and Hospital, the National Eye Science Institute and Hospital, Chittagong Eye Hospital, and Dinajpur Eye Hospital, according to officials concerned.
The health advisor also noted that many people had been injured, with some requiting leg amputations.
“We are talking to various donor agencies, including the World Bank, to bring a team of doctors from abroad for quality treatment. We are working on it,” she assured.