The government is preparing a mega project to upgrade all upazila health complexes across the country into 101-bed facilities, with the design and feasibility study for the initiative now at an advanced stage, State Minister for Health MA Muhit said on Saturday.
He said the upgraded facilities would significantly expand healthcare access for rural communities, where about 75 per cent of the country’s population lives.
The state minister made the remarks while speaking at a view-exchange meeting at the Chattogram Medical College auditorium on Saturday. Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Shahadat Hossain was also present at the event.
Muhit said upazila health complexes are the primary healthcare centres for rural people and that many services currently available at district-level hospitals would gradually be brought under the upgraded 101-bed facilities.
He said the government has set a target of increasing health sector spending from 1 per cent of GDP to 5 per cent within the next five years.
The state minister said the government has also taken initiatives to establish five specialised children’s hospitals in five cities and separate institutes focused on women’s healthcare.
He added that urban healthcare services are being reorganised by bringing them under the direct framework of the Ministry of Health, rather than leaving them primarily under city corporations.
Criticising past practices in the health sector, Muhit said large amounts of money had been spent on purchasing medical equipment without proper planning, resulting in many machines remaining unused.
“Such wastage will be prevented through coordinated planning,” he said.
He also said 10 members of the Ansar force have been deployed at each upazila health complex as an initial measure to improve security for doctors and healthcare workers.
The initiative, he said, is part of broader efforts to modernise healthcare infrastructure and ensure better services for people outside major cities.
