Standard Chartered has committed further assistance to COVID-19 patients in Narayanganj.

The bank has pledged to bear the partial daily treatment cost of 80 COVID-19 patients at SAJIDA Hospital , Narayanganj, which has been converted into a dedicated COVID-19 treatment center, according to a press release.

The Bank had previously funded the daily treatment cost of 40 COVID-19 patients at the same hospital.

Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing, Standard Chartered Bangladesh Bitopi Das Chowdhury said, 'COVID-19 is first and foremost a health crisis of an unprecedented scale, requiring a concerted and sustained response. We are proud to be expanding our partnership with Sajida Foundation through this new initiative. I would also like to express my sincerest gratitude to all the health workers who are bravely leading the fight against COVID-19 from the front.'

SAJIDA Foundation CEO Zahida Fizza Kabir said, 'We at SAJIDA, are working every day to improve our healthcare services. We will introduce a tiered treatment model which will support mildly and moderately affected patients through remote consultation, community health workers and address severely affected and critical patients through our hospital in Narayanganj."

Prior to this, Standard Chartered has contributed USD 300,000 to the Red Cross for the provision of urgent medical support and USD 1.3 million to UNICEF for the immediate protection and education of vulnerable children in Bangladesh.

The bank is also collaborating with BRAC to deliver support packages to 25,000 people from 5000 low-income families, residing in locked-down areas.

At the same time, Standard Chartered Bangladesh, Kumudini Welfare Trust and City Group are working together to deliver essential food items to 5000 distressed families from semi-urban and rural communities in Mirzapur, Tangail

Standard Chartered has announced a broad range of support measures for its retail customers and businesses, including loan repayment holidays, fee waivers or cancellations and loan extension facilities.

It has initiated a US$1 billion global financing program for companies that provide goods and services to help the fight against COVID-19. It has also launched a US$50 million fund aiding communities affected by the pandemic across its global footprint, including Bangladesh.

© Pakistan Press International, source Asianet-Pakistan