DGHS inaugurates new operation theatres in Ukhiya Specialised Hospital

The Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Professor Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam inaugurated two operation theatres and secondary care services at the new Ukhiya Specialised Hospital, constructed and equipped by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

The hospital will provide specialist treatment for lifesaving interventions and secondary care for patients living in the Ukhiya area, including Rohingya refugees, said a press release.

"I am delighted to inaugurate the surgery facilities of the Ukhiya Specialised Hospital which is established by the joint initiative of the Ministry of Health and UNHCR. Our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is determined to provide marginalised people with specialised health care in specialised hospitals. DGHS, along with the Ministry of Health, is proud to bring the specialists from all fields and inaugurate the services", said Professor Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, accompanied by the top public health specialists and surgeons from different directorates and hospitals of the Department of Health.

Director General Professor Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam conducted four surgeries to mark the beginning of these services in the new Ukhiya Specialised Hospital.

Senior surgeons from Cox's Bazar conducted five more surgeries. Surgeries and consultations from multiple specialists will now be available at the hospital in accordance with needs identified in the community. These will include Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Orthopaedics, Dermatology, Dentistry, as well as Psychiatry and Palliative Care treatments.

This will reduce the need for patients to travel to Cox's Bazar or Chattogram for treatment and make services more accessible for people with limited financial resources. The hospital also allows patients access to a laboratory, medical imaging, including X-rays, ultrasound and echography, as well as new telemedicine services which allow virtual consultations by specialists.

DGHS and its team of specialists met with UNHCR partners Gonoshasthaya Kendra, Orbis International and Relief International, who are working in this hospital. In the next three years, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) will progressively take over responsibility for the management and resourcing of the facility.

"We wholeheartedly thank the government of Bangladesh and the Directorate General of Health Services for providing us with the necessary support to make this hospital a reality. Working together we can improve health services and enhance accessibility for all people living in Cox's Bazar. Already some 100 patients are receiving assistance on a daily basis," stated Ita Schuette, head of UNHCR in Cox's Bazar.

Professor Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam was accompanied by Prof Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora, additional director general of Health Services; Prof Dr Mohamamd Najmul Islam, director of Communicable Disease Control; Prof Dr Shakil Ahmed, director of Mycobacterial Disease Control; Prof Dr Fatema Begum from Dhaka Medical College Hospital; Dr Helal Uddin Ahmed from National Mental Health Institute and Hospital; Dr Mohammad Shamsul Haque, director of Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health; Dr Hasan Shahriar Kabir, divisional health director of Chattogram; Superintendent of Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital Dr Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, Civil Surgeon of Cox's Bazar Additional RRRC Mohammad Khalid Hossain, among other key medical professionals from the DGHS.

According to the media release, UNHCR remains grateful to the government of Japan for contributing $1.7 million for the construction of in-patient facilities, installation of medical equipment, and procurement of medical items for the Ukhiya Specialised Hospital.