The government is prepared with more emergency response fund amounting to Tk 5,688 crore in order to tackle the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The government has ensured most of the funds from the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The Covid-19 Emergency Response and Pendamic Preparedness project involving Tk 1,127.51 crore was approved on an urgent basis to combat the onset of corona infection in the country, the planning commission officials said.
Of the total cost of the project, Tk 277 crore was borne from the government’s fund, while the remaining Tk 850 crore from project assistance, they added.
The project has already spent 10.21 percent or Tk 115.15 crore in implementing various programmes till June 2020.
However, the project is being revised for the first time this winter as corona infections are on the rise again.
The government has revised its special project increasing the cost over six-folds.
Now the proposed cost of the project is estimated at Tk 6,815.63 crore. Among them, Tk 6,603.19 crore will come from the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank while Tk 212 crore will come from the government.
The revised proposal will be placed in Ecnec meeting soon.
A senior official of the Planning Commission said the government has decided to revise the special project for fighting the deadly virus as mutation of coronavirus happens several times during the pandemic in the country.
"Due to changing the prevention and control mechanism, new activities are needed to be included in the project to fight the Covid-19 properly," he also said.
"It wasn't possible to prepare and scrutinize the DPP of the project incorporating necessary demands as it had taken during the early situation of coronavirus pandemic in the country. So, now it is needed to amend the project incorporating new programmes to meet the demands of combating the Covid-19," he added.
“The Health Services Division under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has sent the revised DPP of the project which will be discussed at the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) of the Commission soon,” he said, adding that after getting the clearance from PEC, it will be placed before the ECNEC.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will implement the massive project by June 2023.
According to the revised DPP, PCR laboratories will be installed at 27 medical college hospitals across the country.
Under the project, PCR machine will be purchased for respective hospitals, PCR lab and ICU will be set up. In addition, a mobile microbiology laboratory will be installed with Tk 4.25 crore.
Meanwhile, 10-bed ICU Units will be installed at every district hospitals and 10 medical college hospitals along with installation of 20-bed isolation centres at every district hospitals, according to the revised project.
Two medical screening centres will be installed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Other airports and ports in the country will get each single screening centre also.
Central Oxygen System will be installed at 30 government hospitals along with capacity to refill oxygen.
Meanwhile, Infectious Disease Department will be introduced at 37 Medical College Hospitals alongside Infection Prevention Control at different hospitals across the country under this project.
