Golam-Banu hospital: Standing tall for the poor 

Former Lieutenant Colonel Shamsul Alam Joarder from Chuadanga's Nagdah village was shocked by the death of one of his fellow villagers who died untreated because of poverty in 1966. 

The death upset Shamsul so much that he decided to set up a hospital for the poor and underprivileged community of his village.  

But it took him four decades to shape his dream into reality. He fulfilled his dream in 2012 by opening a hospital on a one-acre plot of land, and named it Golam-Banu Hospital, after his late parents. 

The hospital stands tall and offers a ray of hope to at least 20 villages in Alamdanga upazila.  
 
The emergency section of the hospital is open 24-hours a day, which is a boon for the people of Nagdah and nearby villages. Patients get healthcare services from the hospital at minimal cost.

The hospital employs trained midwives and nurses along with doctors to provide patients, especially pregnant women and infants, with good treatment.

It has a state-of-the-art operating theatre and separate five-bed wards for women and men. 

Rahmat Ali, a resident of Nagdah, expressed satisfaction over the treatment at the hospital, and said, "My son was suffering from abdominal pain. I had my son's ultrasonography done at this hospital on the recommendation of a doctor for Tk150, whereas it would cost Tk200 in Chuadanga Sadar Hospital and Tk300 in other clinics." 

Nearby villagers have stopped going to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital after this hospital was established, he added.   

Another satisfied attendant of a patient, Rozina Begum, from Gholdari village in Alamdanga upazila, said, "My daughter had a normal delivery at the hospital for a cost that was less than Tk2,000. If I had gone to any other hospital or clinic in Chuadanga sadar, it would have cost Tk15,000 to Tk20,000." 

It is not just the patients. The physicians and government officials are also happy with the services of the hospital.

Dr Abu Saleh Mohammad Imran, a physician at the hospital, said people get treatment at minimal cost. Also, the hospital regularly arranges free medical camps for the poor and the helpless. 

The founder of the hospital, Shamsul Alam Joardar, told The Business Standard, "I plan to upgrade the hospital by increasing the number of beds gradually. We do not want to see a villager dying without treatment. We will bring more equipment to provide better treatment for all of our patients." 

Liton Ali, the upazila nirbahi officer of Alamdanga upazila said, "Golam-Banu hospital has taken a great initiative to provide villagers with healthcare services. People of different villages consider the hospital as an example in the area."  

ASM Maruf Hasan, the civil surgeon of Chuadanga, said, "People get service as soon possible from the hospital. It offers many types of services, which is why patients do not have to travel long distances for them."