On a ‘virtual visit’ to Bangladesh, a first for a UK Minister,
Trevelyan met with Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister and also saw how
UK-backed isolation and treatment centres will help protect
Bangladeshi and Rohingya communities in Cox’s Bazar from the
pandemic.
The UK has dedicated at least £21 million to tackle coronavirus
in Bangladesh, where 120,000 cases have been reported.
Its support will save lives by slowing the rapid spread of the
disease and boosting struggling health services. During the
virtual visit, Ms Trevelyan talked to the staff of BRAC, an NGO
which has mobilised 50,000 community health workers with UK aid
support to reach more than five million Bangladeshi people in
remote, deprived communities, giving them public health
information about how to prevent the spread of coronavirus and
stay safe.
Ms Trevelyan visited, via a video call, the Rohingya refugee
camps in Cox’s Bazar, where social distancing is near impossible
due to the cramped conditions. UK aid is supporting the
construction of vital isolation and treatment centres (ITCs) in
Cox’s Bazar, making available over 600 beds for treating both
Rohingya refugees and people from Bangladeshi communities, who
develop severe acute respiratory infections due to contracting
coronavirus.
UK International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said
“Coronavirus is the biggest public health emergency in a
generation. UK aid is committed to helping Bangladesh and the
Rohingya people through this devastating crisis.
“I saw the incredible international work across the country and
in Cox’s Bazar to stop the spread of coronavirus and improve
healthcare. The UK is proud to play our role, so we can help save
lives and protect those in need.
“I am grateful to the Government and people of Bangladesh for
their extraordinary generosity and support for the Rohingya
refugees. The UK will continue to work with the Government of
Bangladesh, international partners and the UN Security Council to
enable the Rohingyas to return home to Rakhine in a safe,
dignified and voluntary manner, and to support them until that is
possible.”
The International Development Secretary spoke with Sarah Collis,
the team leader of the UK Emergency Medical Team, which is
working alongside Bangladeshi medics and the International
Organisation for Migration to setup the ITCs and respond to cases
in the camps.
She also saw the World Food Programme’s emergency food response
to the pandemic, backed by UK aid, which is helping to meet the
basic food needs of 100,000 Rohingya refugees and helping 53,000
of the most vulnerable Bangladeshis living around the camps to
cope with the crippling economic impact of the pandemic.
Ms Trevelyan met with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. A. K. Abdul
Momen, MP and committed to continue UK support to Bangladesh for
the fight against coronavirus.
The British High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson said
“The coronavirus outbreak has had an unprecedented impact on
people’s health, livelihoods, and mobility in Bangladesh.
“The virtual visit allowed the Secretary of State to see the
breadth and depth of UK support for the country, and underlined
the UK’s strong commitment to Bangladesh in the face of the
coronavirus challenge.”
- The UK has dedicated at least £21 million to tackle
coronavirus in Bangladesh, including to:
- increase testing capacity in the country by supporting the
hiring of 60 additional technicians in Government of Bangladesh
labs;
- reach more than 7 million Bangladeshi people in remote,
deprived communities with public health information about how to
prevent the spread of coronavirus and stay safe, working with
BRAC and the UN Development Programme.
- set up isolation and treatment centres, train staff to help
treat severe and critical coronavirus cases, and support mobile
medical units to deliver home-based healthcare and monitoring.
This healthcare is helping both refugees and host communities.
- build an additional 2,400 handwashing centres across the
country
-
meet the basic food needs of 100,000 Rohingya refugees for a
whole year and helping 55,000 of the most vulnerable
Bangladeshis living around the camps to cope with the
crippling economic impact of the pandemic
-
Ms was appointed
UK International Development Secretary on 13 February 2020.
She was previously UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces
from 17 December 2019 to 13 February 2020, and UK Minister
for Defence Procurement from 27 July 2019 to 16 December
2019.
- The UK, the second largest donor to the international
response to the Rohingya refugee crisis, is providing
life-sustaining humanitarian aid to almost one million Rohingya
refugees and vulnerable host communities in Cox’s Bazar. Since
the last refugee influx in 2017, the UK has contributed more than
£261 million. The UK is the third largest bilateral donor overall
in Bangladesh, providing more than £350 million in aid since
2018.
