Dhaka: Five full-fledged children’s hospitals will begin operations in five divisions of the country by October, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr MA Muhith announced today. ‘By October, five newly constructed full-fledged children’s hospitals in five divisional and district cities across the country will formally begin providing medical services,’ he stated.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Dr Muhith made these remarks during a workshop on ‘Measles Spread and Genetic Surveillance’ and a research grant award ceremony at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. The event was organized jointly by the hospital’s Department of Epidemiology and Research and icddr,b, where findings of research on the issue were presented.
Dr Muhith further mentioned that every 50-bed Upazila Health Complex in the country is being upgraded to 150 beds to enhance healthcare services at the grassroots level. He emphasized that pediatrics, medicine, surgery, and gynecology will be given top priority at the upazila level.
He attributed the current epidemic to the immunity gap caused by the failure to take timely initiatives and policy negligence during the 2024 vaccination campaign. He stressed that prevention and vaccination are the only solutions to stop the surge in deaths, rather than installing a thousand ventilators or ICU beds.
Dr Muhith cautioned against unrealistic assurances, noting that even with a 100 percent increase in vaccination pace, it would take two to three months to gain full control over the outbreak. However, he assured that efforts are underway to reduce child deaths through maximum treatment and field-level surveillance during this period.
He also announced a major recruitment drive to address structural weaknesses in the health system, stating that one lakh new health field workers would be recruited soon to provide primary healthcare and maternal and child health services across the country. Additionally, he mentioned plans to complete the recruitment process for 5,000 new doctors, followed by the hiring of necessary nurses and medical technologists in phases.
Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Professor Dr Prabhat Chandra Biswas, Director (Hospitals) Dr Md Nurul Islam, and IEDCR Director Dr Kazi Ahmed Zaki also spoke at the event. Professor Dr A K M Azizul Haque, Chairman of the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, chaired the session. Key research findings and data were presented by Professor Dr Mirza Md Ziaul Islam of the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute and Dr Mustafizur Rahman, chief scientist of the Virology Department at icddr,b.