Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Dr AZM Zahid Hossain has said steps will be taken soon to strengthen infrastructure and recruit additional manpower at Dinajpur Medical College Hospital to improve healthcare services.
He made the announcement while inaugurating newly constructed cabins and a mosque at the hospital and inspecting its existing facilities.
Dr Zahid said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced plans to upgrade the hospital from its current 500-bed capacity to 1,000 beds.
He said recruitment of the required manpower and construction of additional infrastructure would begin immediately to support the expanded services.
Later, Dr Zahid, chairman of the hospital management committee, held a meeting with officials to review the hospital’s overall condition and service capacity.
He said only 50 to 60 percent of the required manpower is currently available, while the 500-bed hospital is treating around 1,200 to 1,400 admitted patients.
Highlighting the shortage of nurses, he said four nurses currently have to care for around 27 patients, compared with the ideal ratio of four nurses for every 10 patients. The shortage is also creating difficulties in maintaining cleanliness and ensuring quality services.
The minister praised the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit and kidney dialysis services, noting that dialysis is available at a cost of Tk 400.
He said around 2,000 to 3,000 patients receive treatment at the hospital’s outpatient department every day.
Dr Zahid said the government would take necessary measures to address infrastructure and manpower shortages and called for coordinated efforts by doctors, nurses and officials to improve healthcare services.
He also said the medical college and hospital were established during earlier BNP governments, but adequate steps were not taken to expand the facilities during the ousted Awami League regime.
