PM Hasina lays foundation stone for icddr,b hospital in Teknaf

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the 'Multipurpose Disaster Resilient Shelter Isolation Centre cum Hospital Complex' at the Teknaf campus of icddr,b.

This significant event unfolded during her visit to Cox's Bazar, where she also inaugurated Chattogram's Dohazari-Cox's Bazar Rail Line and Matarbari deep seaport channel, said a press release.

The construction of the state-of-the-art research and hospital complex for icddr,b within its Teknaf campus will be overseen by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under its Emergency Assistance Project.

Situated along the banks of the Naf River in Cox's Bazar district, the icddr,b Hospital at Teknaf upazila has been a vital healthcare facility in a challenging, disaster-prone region since its establishment in 1985-86. 

Initially serving from temporary tents to address diarrhoea cases, the hospital's importance escalated during the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to the establishment of temporary structures to sustain healthcare services.

Presently, in partnership with UNICEF and funded by the ADB, icddr,b operates a 65-bed Respiratory Disease Hospital (RDH) made of bamboo that caters to both Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs) and the local community, providing free medical services. 

Equipped with critical facilities such as the High Dependency Unit, Laboratory, X-ray, and ECG unit, it offers diagnosis, treatment, and care for various ailments including respiratory diseases, dengue, diarrhoea, hypertension, diabetes, and malnutrition.

The proposed infrastructure for the hospital complex includes essential facilities like an administrative building, conference room, dedicated beds for diarrhoea and emergency treatment, along with various wards for general medical care. 

Encompassing radiology, laboratory, pharmacy, bio-medical, kitchen, store, warehouse, laundry, support staff accommodation, and a mortuary, the complex will spread across nine separate buildings of varying floors, spanning 6,488 square metres.

The estimated cost for this forward-thinking infrastructure stands at Tk27.09 crore, with implementation scheduled from October 2023 to March 2025. 

This initiative aims to fortify the hospital's resilience against natural disasters, ensuring uninterrupted and enhanced medical care for the local community and FDMNs.