The government is set to introduce kidney dialysis services at district and upazila levels across the country to ensure better access to treatment for kidney patients.
Director General of the Directorate of Nursing and Midwifery Dil Afroza said a three-month training programme is underway for 5,000 nurses and medical technologists on dialysis care.
She said the government has also decided to create 2,500 new posts for nurses and medical technologists to expand dialysis services nationwide.
Currently, 90 nurses are receiving training at the National Kidney Foundation, while 20 are being trained in Pabna and 10 in Rajshahi. Larger-scale training programmes will begin in several other places, including Sylhet, within a few days.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said 50-bed kidney dialysis centres would be established at every medical college hospital, while 10-bed centres would be set up at every district sadar hospital.
Applications have already been collected from nurses working at public medical college hospitals, specialised hospitals and district sadar hospitals for the training programme under the 2026-27 fiscal year.
A decision to expand dialysis services was taken at a meeting of the Health Services Division chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on August 12. The Prime Minister’s Office later sent the meeting record to the Health Services Division for necessary action.
Earlier, a decision was taken during the Prime Minister’s visit to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on July 20 to establish 10-bed dialysis centres at every district hospital.
According to KAMPS, around 3.8 crore people in Bangladesh suffer from kidney disease, while about 40,000 patients depend on dialysis. However, dialysis facilities are mainly concentrated in Dhaka and other major cities.
The Bangladesh Renal Association estimates that there are around 146 dialysis centres in the country, with 65 to 70 percent located in Dhaka, leaving many people in rural and remote areas without adequate access to treatment.
Officials said an action plan would also be prepared to establish dialysis facilities at the upazila level three years after district-level centres become fully operational.
The training programme will be conducted by the National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology (NIKDU) and the National Kidney Foundation.
The government has also decided to create entry-level doctor posts at upazila health facilities and take measures to address the shortage of physicians at the grassroots level.
Other decisions include automatic postings of professors, associate professors, assistant professors, lecturers and consultants, upgrading all upazila health complexes to 151 beds and establishing a 600-bed general hospital in Mirpur.
