Nilphamari: Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has announced that the proposed Nilphamari 1,000-bed Bangladesh-China Friendship Hospital will become a significant medical hub, serving as a strategic investment to enhance the healthcare standards in the country. "This hospital is not just an infrastructure, it is a strategic investment in improving the country's healthcare standards. Through this, people of the northern region will be able to receive advanced medical services within their own area," he emphasized.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Chief Adviser remarked on the approval of a significant healthcare infrastructure project valued at Taka 2,459.35 crore to establish the 1,000-bed Bangladesh-China Friendship General Hospital in Nilphamari. The Executive Committee of the National Executive Committee (ECNEC) sanctioned the project on Sunday, with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus presiding over the meeting.
Prof Yunus highlighted the necessity for decentralizing healthcare services to alleviate the excessive pressure on hospitals in Rangpur and Dhaka. He stated, "This hospital in Nilphamari will play a major role in achieving that goal." He added that the initiative, once implemented, will not only serve patients from Bangladesh but also contribute significantly to healthcare in South Asia, extending services to patients from neighboring countries like Nepal and Bhutan. "As a result, Bangladesh's health sector will emerge as an important regional hub," Prof Yunus noted.
The project, initiated by the Health Services Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and executed by the Directorate General of Health Services, is scheduled to run from January 2026 to December 2029. The estimated project cost is Taka 2,459.35 crore, with Taka 179.27 crore financed by the government of Bangladesh and the remainder provided through Chinese grant assistance.
The project's inception followed Chief Adviser Yunus's visit to China in March last year, where he requested Chinese President Xi Jinping to support the establishment of an advanced hospital in Bangladesh. China promptly initiated support for the project.
The hospital will feature a 10-storey main building with a semi-basement, professors' and senior doctors' quarters, doctors' dormitory with studio apartments, directors' duplex building, nurses' dormitory buildings, residential buildings for staff, a mosque, hospital kitchen, waste management plant, service building, hospital gas manifold and Vacuum Insulated Evaporator (VIE) tank facility, helipad and automated ambulance system, and a generator and substation building. It will be equipped with modern medical equipment and provide specialized treatment in nephrology, cardiology, oncology, and neurology, alongside general medical services.
The project is expected to generate substantial employment opportunities for hospital operations, with plans to recruit approximately 893 doctors, 1,197 nurses, and 1,410 other staff under the revenue sector, thereby bolstering the local economy and healthcare capacity.
Officials explained that Nilphamari district, with a population of around 21 lakh, requires an estimated 4,500 to 6,000 beds according to World Health Organization (WHO) standards. However, the current number of functional beds is inadequate, forcing critically ill patients to travel to Rangpur or Dhaka, increasing time, cost, and risk.
The hospital is anticipated to be a sustainable tertiary-level healthcare institution, significantly reducing regional disparities in healthcare access and ensuring quality and timely medical services for millions in northern Bangladesh.