US donates 30 lakh ORS doses for Rohingyas

Secretariat Correspondent: The US government on Tuesday handed over 30 lakh sachets of oral rehydration solution (ORS) to the Bangladesh authorities to assist the Rohingyas.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) staff handed over the shipment to senior officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) at Mohakhali in the city.

Since August 24, the US government has provided over $90 million to assist more than 655,000 Rohingya people and their host communities in Bangladesh.

USAID purchased the three million ORS sachets from Renata Limited, a local pharmaceutical manufacturer, in response to the MoHFW's September 2017 request for priority health products to support the Rohingyas.

The ORS supply will now head to Cox's Bazar, where the MoHFW will work with health sector partners to ensure that it is appropriately distributed to those in need.

USAID Mission Director Janina Jaruzelski said, "USAID is proud to work in partnership with the government of Bangladesh to provide these lifesaving products to the Rohingyas".

"For decades, we have used ORS to prevent the deaths of vulnerable men, women and children in Bangladesh and around the world. This locally sourced ORS will serve as an essential treatment for diarrheal diseases, which remain serious and prevalent threats in the camps," she added.

risingbd/Dhaka/Dec 19, 2017/Hasan/AI