Amid a pandemic of coronavirus across the globe and the government measures to contain it in Bangladesh, one of the country’s top entrepreneurs gifted five new thermal scanners to the health ministry Thursday as a gesture of “love and responsibility” for his country.
Md. Aziz Khan. Chairman of the Summit Group, one of Bangladesh’s largest conglomerates, told the daily sun soon after the scanners were handed over to the health ministry that “it is nothing exceptional, but to stand by the government at this hour of need.”
“It is a gesture of our love and part of our responsibility for our country, besides to help contain the virus,” he said by telephone from his Singapore office.
With the five, the total number of scanners now stands at 10 in the country with the news ones to be installed where necessary.
“Now, we have 10 scanners. Five scanners have already been installed at Chattogram Airport, Chattogram Seaport, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Sylhet Osmani International Airport and Benapole land port,” Health Minister Zahid Maleque told a news brief at his office at the secretarite in Dhakam flanked by Summit Group Vice-Chairman Md Latif Khan and Md Asadul Islam, secretary of the Health Services Division.
He said “The rest will be installed within few days as required.”
A scanner is used for measuring body temperature when a person passes through it.
Aziz Khan said during his frequent trips abroad after the outbreak of deadly COVID-19, he felt that more scanners were required to speed up the process at the airports in the country.
“When people stand in a long queue and in close proximity it can transmit virus from one person to another spreading the disease,” he said, adding that “the five were the ones available and we could quickly manage due to a rush in demand of the scanners.”The top businessman thanked Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladesh’s high commissioner in Singapore, and the premier’s principal secretary, Ahmad Kaikaus, for ensuring the speedy import of the equipment.
Summit Group’s business spans from communication, trading, energy and power to shipping.