With the Coronavirus pandemic affecting all of us in every possible way, Institute of Architects Bangladesh initiated an effort to urgently produce a handbook of Design Guideline for Covid-19 Isolation Center for treating suspected and confirmed COVID- 19 patients. The guideline will help architects and healthcare professionals to quickly set up or transform an existing facility into an isolation center. After tireless inputs from the persons tasked with creating the document, IAB has been able to complete it on 15 April 2020.
The 21-page Design Guideline is based on local and international guidelines & protocols and prepared by health care design expert Ar. Dr. Nayma Khan, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). The document has been vetted for practical use in the local context by a group of health care experts and professionals. The reviewers are –
Dr. Mohammad Mushtaq Husain (Consultant, IEDCR) Dr. Aliya Naheed (ICDDRB) Ar. Mushtaque Quadry Ar. Mir Manzurur Rahman (Dept. of Architecture, GoB) Ar. Mohammad Foyez Ullah Ar. Ishtiaque Zahir Engr. Md. Hasmotuzzaman The whole process was guided and edited by Ar. Prof. Farida Nilufar, Secretary, Environment and Urbanization, IAB.
The Design Guideline has already been sent to 34 responsible and senior ranking persons in different related government sectors such as the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare including the Honorable Minister, different medical college hospitals, Dept. of Public Health Engineering, PWD, Dept. of Architecture, Dhaka North & South City Corporations and Narayanganj City Corporations.
IAB expects that this open source document will help architects and healthcare professionals to analyze individual context and apply the guidelines to set up Isolation Centers quickly. IAB sincerely hope that establishment of such facilities around Bangladesh will help in the ongoing battle to fight the pandemic. The document is available in the website of IAB.
