New Ctg burn unit raises hopes for 4cr

Four crore people in the Chattogram Division will find some solace in the fact that the specialised unit for burn and plastic surgery project in Chattogram, which made almost zero progress in the past six years, has finally gained momentum after the government finalised the land for the complex.

Officials familiar with the matter told The Business Standard that the 100-bed specialised unit will be built on 3,100 square feet of land of the Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) in the Chatteshori area of the port city.

Earlier, burn patients had to largely rely on the 26-bed burn unit of the CMCH, where resources are already strained. Many patients have to seek treatment on the floor of the hospital, due to shortage of beds.

Authorities concerned said they are at the final stage of project design and budgeting for the new unit.

Regarding finance, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed on 10 March between the governments of Bangladesh and China, the project donor. 

Dr Samanta Lal Sen, chief national coordinator for burn and plastic surgery facility expansion projects, said, "The initiative was stalled for a long time due to land allocation complications. This was further slowed due to the Covid-19 outbreak in China. Now everything is finalised."

He said representatives of the Chinese government will visit on 26 February, after which the MoU will be signed.

The matter was also discussed in the meeting regarding infrastructure in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare held on 7 February.

Chinese authorities have been in correspondence with the Economic Relations Department (ERD) of the Ministry of Finance in this regard, Dr Sen added.

"We had a meeting with the project stakeholders last Thursday to prepare for the visit of the Chinese delegation. They will work on all issues in detail during a nine-day visit to Chattogram," he said.

Dr Sen said a notice had been sent to clear the proposed land of some unauthorised establishments.

"Hopefully, it will be cleared soon," CMCH Director Brigadier General Shamim Ahsan told The Business Standard.

The proposed specialised unit is expected to facilitate the treatment of burn patients from nine districts of Chattogram Division, which is home to some four crore people. Currently, they largely depend on the 26-bed burn unit of the CMCH.

"The pressure of patients at Chattogram Medical is very high. Some 60 patients remain admitted at the 26-bed unit. Besides, 25-30 patients are treated in the emergency department and 30-40 others in the outdoor departments every day," said Dr Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, chief of the burn unit at the CMCH.

Hospital Director Shamim Ahsan said, "The most important thing for treating burn patients is infection control, which we severely lack."

The hospital has just a general ward for burn patients and an old operation theatre which was established in 1957, he said, adding that the hospital has no ICU facility. "There is a shortage of beds. Many patients receive treatment on hospital floors." 

The specialised burn unit will have infection control measures, dedicated operation theatres and ICUs, which, in conjunction, will be able to provide international-quality services, hoped Shamim Ahsan.

The itinerary

A delegation of five members of the Chinese government - headed by an architect and includes air-condition and ventilation engineers, electrical engineers, translators and geological engineers - will arrive in Dhaka for the visit.

On 27 February, they will exchange views with senior officials of the Ministry of Health.

On 28 February, the delegation, along with Chinese Embassy officials, will go to Chattogram for a nine-day visit.

During the visit, overall aspects, including survey, water supply and sewage system, electricity facilities and communication facilities at the proposed site will be reviewed.

They will return to Dhaka on March 9 and it is expected the MoU will be signed with the Ministry of Health on 10 March.

Snags along the way

According to project officials, a Chinese government delegation visited Chattogram in September 2016 to inspect land for the burn and plastic surgery unit following a proposal from the Bangladesh government.

The vacant land behind the CMCH was selected at the time. However, it fell short of the requirement, leading to subsequent complications. 

Later in March 2019, the Chattogram Medical College Hospital authorities held a meeting with the Chinese delegation to resolve the complications but failed.

Even the health ministry's repeated attempts to convince the Chinese authorities to change the design of the project fell flat. 

The project advanced several notches after the massive fire incident in Chattogram's BM Container Depot in the middle of last year. Another Chinese delegation visited Chattogram in June that year.