Law enforcement agencies have started cracking down on production facilities and inventories of counterfeit safety kits that are imperilling the lives of COVID-19 patients and front line health workers alike.
As part of the drive, members of the Rapid Action Battalion, or RAB, on Thursday located an apartment full of fake N-95 masks from the capital's Uttara area.
Confirming the development, executive magistrate of the elite force Sarwar Alam said they, based on its own intelligence report, launched the drive at an apartment located on the Gawsul Azam Avenue in Sector-14 of the posh neighbourhood.
"We've found some seven categories of so-called N-95 masks from the apartment. The masks were supplied by KS Embroidery and Punching Limited," he said.
Responding to a question, he said the N-95 mask prescribed by the World Health Organisation, or WHO, for healthcare professionals is similar and identical anywhere in the world.
"But we've found several categories of masks here and these are not original," he said.
The RAB's executive magistrate said they had information that the company is also supplying unauthorised testing kits in the local market.
"We're investigating the matter," he added.
A couple of days ago, the RAB in another drive unearthed a huge volume of testing kits from the capital's Nikunja area.
Over the last several days, the healthcare professionals have been reporting supplies of substandard protective gears such as face masks and personal protective equipment, which have put the lives of doctors, nurses and other medical staffers in serious danger.
The worries have intensified as the number of COVID-19 infected caregivers keeps rising.
Until Thursday morning, more than 400 healthcare professionals were tested positive for new coronavirus that has already killed a physician.
Hailing such a clampdown, chairman of the Bangladesh Doctors' Foundation Dr. Shahed Rafi Pavel said the authorities should beef up drive against unscrupulous traders.
"The government should also test the PPEs in its stock because we're getting report of infection even after wearing the government-delivered PPEs," he said.
According to the health department, it has already handed over some 1.13 million PPEs until Wednesday while the remaining stock of the gears is 0.36 million.
Public health rights activist Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub was critical of the production and delivery of substandard protective kits to frontline fighters, saying that it will further endanger the country's healthcare system in this critical time. "We must ensure the safety of the medical workforce if we want to fight the pandemic," he added.
