Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Sunday said the planned 1,000-bed Bangladesh–China Friendship General Hospital in Nilphamari would be a strategic investment to raise national healthcare standards and allow people in the northern region to access advanced treatment close to home.
He made the remarks while speaking about the project approval at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), which he chaired.
Yunus said “Decentralising healthcare was essential to ease excessive pressure on hospitals in Rangpur and Dhaka, and the Nilphamari hospital would play a major role in achieving that goal.”
He added “Once operational, the facility would not only serve Bangladeshi patients but also contribute to healthcare in South Asia, with patients from neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Bhutan expected to seek treatment there.”
This, he said, would help Bangladesh emerge as an important regional health centre.
The ECNEC meeting approved the project to establish the hospital in Nilphamari, aiming to ensure modern and specialised healthcare for people in the country’s northern region.
The project will be implemented by the Health Services Division under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with the Directorate General of Health Services as the executing agency. It will run from January 2026 to December 2029 at an estimated cost of Tk2,459.35 crore.
The Bangladesh government will provide Tk179.27 crore, while the remaining amount will come through Chinese grant assistance.
During a visit to China in March last year, the chief adviser requested Chinese President Xi Jinping to support the establishment of an advanced hospital in Bangladesh. China responded swiftly to that request and took up the initiative.
Under the project, a modern 10-storey hospital building will be constructed in Nilphamari sadar upazila. The plan also includes dormitories and residential buildings for doctors, nurses and health workers, a director’s bungalow, supporting infrastructure, and the installation of modern medical equipment.
The hospital will offer general treatment alongside specialised services in nephrology, cardiology, oncology, neurology and other disciplines. It will have a modern emergency department, ICU, CCU and HDU facilities, advanced diagnostics and fully equipped operation theatres to treat complex and long-term illnesses.
The project will also create significant employment opportunities. Plans include recruiting about 893 doctors, 1,197 nurses and 1,410 other staff under the revenue budget, supporting both the local economy and the health sector’s capacity.
Once implemented, the hospital will reduce treatment costs and long-distance travel hardships for millions in the northern region. It will ensure timely life-saving care and bring a sustainable, long-term positive change to the national health system.
The project includes constructing a new 10-storey hospital building, a 10-storey quarters building for professors and senior doctors, a 10-storey doctors’ dormitory, a two-storey duplex director’s bungalow, two six-storey nurses’ dormitories, and two 10-storey staff quarters buildings for second and third class employees, along with the procurement of necessary medical equipment.
Nilphamari district has a population of around 2.1 million, most of whom live in rural and semi-urban areas. According to World Health Organization standards, this population requires an estimated 4,500 to 6,000 hospital beds. At present, the number of functional beds at the district level remains far below that need.
Due to limited beds, specialised departments and modern facilities in existing health institutions, critically ill patients often have to travel to Rangpur or Dhaka, increasing time, cost and health risks.
At the same time, the burden of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, maternal and neonatal complications and infectious diseases is rising rapidly in the northern region. These conditions require advanced diagnostics, specialist doctors, surgery and intensive care, which many patients cannot access in time.
Currently, healthcare in the district mainly depends on the 250-bed Nilphamari General Hospital and upazila-level primary health centres. These facilities have limited capacity for ICU, HDU, dialysis, comprehensive cancer care, neuro emergencies, cardiac care, burn and plastic surgery, and specialised maternal and neonatal services.
As a result, patients with serious and complex conditions are referred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital or Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
