To Assist in COVID-19 Response
The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced on Oct. 26 that it would provide Bangladesh with a loan of US$50 million from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) to assist in its COVID-19 response. The ministry made the same decision regarding the Philippines and Cambodia on Oct. 14.
The aid to be provided for the Philippines is US$100 million. It will be utilized for local health and medical infrastructure expansion, infectious disease response, and the like.
The US$50 million aid for Cambodia will be used for public medical system expansion and response to emergencies such as infectious diseases. There, the ministry is expected to work with the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare to support research on such diseases.
The aid for Bangladesh will be used for the same purposes. The ministry is planning to contribute to Bangladesh’s damage mitigation efforts with the loan and develop follow-up projects for more cooperation in the fields of health and medicine.