Japan will provide $145,000 to Bangladesh’s icddr,b to expand tuberculosis screening in Dhaka’s slum areas under a programme that brings diagnostic services directly to communities with limited access to healthcare.

Ambassador Saida Shinichi signed the grant contracts with the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, at the Japanese embassy on Tuesday.

The funding, provided through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), will pay for a Toyota Land Cruiser and a Fujifilm portable digital X-ray unit.

Under the project, formally the Procurement of Land Cruiser for Tuberculosis Diagnosis in Dhaka District, mobile teams will screen an estimated 9,000 people a year. The project is expected to detect previously undiagnosed TB cases, connect patients with appropriate medical care and help curb the spread of infection.

“Japan places great importance on human security — protecting people’s lives and dignity,” Saida said. “This project puts that commitment into practice by bringing essential health services closer to people who face barriers to care.”

Ichiro Kashitani, vice chairman of Toyota Tsusho Corporation, attended the signing. Toyota Tsusho and Fujifilm will provide technical training on the vehicle and equipment.

Japan has funded 224 NGO projects through the GGP since 1989, with grants totalling about $17.8 million, aimed at strengthening economic and social human security at the grassroots level.