Dinajpur: Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Dr AZM Zahid Hossain today announced that steps will be taken soon to enhance 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 infrastructure in the afternoon.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Dr Zahid revealed that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced plans to upgrade the hospital from its current 500-bed capacity to 1,000 beds. He stated that the recruitment of the necessary manpower and construction of additional infrastructure would commence immediately to support the expanded services.
Later, Dr Zahid, who also serves as the chairman of the hospital management committee, held a meeting with concerned officials to assess the hospital's overall condition and service capacity. He pointed out that currently, only 50 to 60 percent of the hospital's required manpower is available, while the 500-bed facility is providing treatment to approximately 1,200 to 1,400 admitted patients.
Highlighting the pressure on nursing staff, he mentioned that four nurses currently have to care for about 27 patients, rather than the ideal ratio of four nurses for every 10 patients. This shortage creates challenges in maintaining cleanliness and ensuring quality services, he added.
The minister praised the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and kidney dialysis services, noting that dialysis is available at a cost of only Tk 400. He also mentioned that around 2,000 to 3,000 patients receive treatment at the hospital's outpatient department daily.
Dr Zahid stated that the government would take necessary measures to address the hospital's infrastructure and manpower shortages. He called for coordinated efforts by doctors, nurses, officials, and others concerned to improve healthcare services. He also noted that although the medical college and hospital were established during earlier BNP governments, adequate steps were not taken to expand the facilities during the ousted Awami League regime.