To say that the Covid-19 pandemic has been a destructive force in Bangladesh would at this point be a gross understatement; over 90,000 total cases and over 1,200 deaths have been registered in the country, with the knowledge that this may yet be an underreported number.
What has been more worrying is that we have yet to see any signs of the virus slowing down.
A significant number of VIPs have also either been infected by Covid-19 or have died as a result of this deadly virus, showing once again that the virus does not discriminate.
However, while the virus may not discriminate, humans most certainly do, and when it comes to the coronavirus handling in the country, there continues to be discrimination.
It continues to be the poor and the most vulnerable in our society who are most severely affected by the virus. It continues to be those amongst us, with no clout, no status, no power, that find it most difficult to access health care services in the country, who are not permitted into hospitals, who have to stand and wait for hours for service.
The fact that all human life ought to be valued equally is lost on us; while the VIPs are provided with the best services possible, the poor in particular continue to suffer the effects of a largely inefficient health care system.
This is not a new phenomenon in Bangladesh, but Covid-19 has, perhaps more than ever before, shown the deep divide that exists in the country.
It is time that we addressed this issue with the seriousness it deserves. It is time we acknowledge that healthcare, or any other essential service for that matter, exists for everyone in the country, and not just the privileged class. If Bangladesh is truly to fulfill its ambitions, it must look to fix the harmful culture of disproportionately favouring VIPs.
