Standard treatment curbing Covid-19 death rate in cops: IGP says

The national death rate from Covid-19 infection is around 1.3 percent but in police force it is only 0.5 percent as standard treatment facilities have been ensured for personnel in police hospitals.

Benazir Ahmed, Inspector General of Police (IGP), today shared the information saying that their plan is to bring the death rate in the force to zero percent.

"We have converted the 250-bed Central Police Hospital into a 500-bed hospital within two weeks. We hired a private hospital and set up a PCR laboratory in the central laboratory within 12-days for the treatment of Covid-19 infected police members," said the police chief.

The IGP said expert medical team formed by the prime minister had visited various hospitals in the country and described Central Police Hospital as the best in treatment and management for coronavirus. China's specialist medical team has also praised the medical protocol and management of the hospital, he said.

Steps have also been taken to modernise the divisional level hospitals for which reason the police officials infected with Covid-19 are recovering quickly and mortality rate is declining, he said.

To bring down the infection rate to zero, he urged all to adhere to the minimum hygiene rules. "If we all work together, we will be able to deal with this pandemic," he said, after inaugurating the newly constructed barrack building of Uttara Regional Police Lines of Dhaka Metropolitan Police at Diabari as chief guest.

DMP Commissioner Shafiqul Islam presided over the programme. Moinur Rahman Chowdhury, Additional Inspector General of Police Headquarters, and Md Abu Sayed Chowdhury, deputy managing director of Abul Khayer Group, also spoke at the ceremony.

IGP Benazir Ahmed said coronavirus was first detected in the country on March 8 and police started working to protect people without waiting for protection gear to prevent the virus.

The IGP said, "We have prepared a pandemic policing standard operating procedure (SOP) suitable for the Bangladesh Police by collecting the pandemic policing guidelines through the officials working in embassies of different countries posted in Dhaka, World Health Organization and international and regional guidelines."