Bashundhara Group’s hospital for corona patients opens shortly
The Bashundhara Group’s proposed 5,000-bed Covid-19 hospital will be launched soon as the health and family welfare ministry has started taking preparations to provide necessary facilities.
“Whenever the government will inform us of readying the hospital, we will able to provide all types of necessary support within only two to three days,” Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan told the daily sun.
As part of the preparations, a team of Health Engineering Department (HED) led by its Chief Engineer Brigadier General Mohammad Osman Sarwar and Dr Md Aminul Hasan, Director (Hospital) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), visited the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB), the proposed site for the largest hospital for coronavirus patients. The 11-member team of the HED also includes Additional Chief Engineer (Headquarters) Md Abdul Hamid, Deputy Chief Engineer (architect) Anisur Rahman, Superintending Engineer (Planning and Administration) Md. Anower Hossain, Superintending Engineer Md. Abdul Hamid (Electrical) and Executive Engineer (Dhaka city) Masudur Rahman.
They visited all the four convention centers and a trade centre with 150,000 square feet of the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) and later held a joint meeting at the operational office of the ICCB to discuss their plans. M. M. Jasim Uddin, Chief Operating Officer of the ICCB, and its other officials were also present.
Talking to the daily sun, Aminul Hasan said, “We hope we can start such a big hospital for Covid-19 patients within a very short time. And necessary infrastructure is available here (ICCB) for setting up such a big hospital during this crisis situation of the country.”
“If we can start operation of the hospital, we will be able to accommodate a large number of Covid-19 patients to provide them with necessary treatment. And definitely it will very much helpful for the countrymen,” he added.
Aminul also said they have planned to set up ICU (Intensive care Unit) support center and general treatment center at the hospital.
Asked about setting up the Covid-19 hospital, Mohammad Osman Sarwar said, “It’s a great opportunity that the hospital can be set up within a very short time. Initially, it is possible to start the hospital with more than 4000-bed facilities in a very short time.”
He further said setting up the largest hospital will be an effective step to provide treatment for Covid-19 patients in the country.
Earlier on Monday, two teams of the DGHS and Bangladesh Army on Monday visited the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB).
The visit came a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accepted Bashundhara Group’s proposal to set up a 5,000-bed hospital for corona patients at the ICCB.
Earlier, Bashundhara Group’s proposal to set up the country’s largest 5000-bed hospital for corona patients was accepted on Sunday by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The premier gave the go-ahead after Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan sent a written proposal to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), expressing the desire to set up the hospital amid the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Managing Director of Bashundhara Group Sayem Sobhan Anvir formally handed over the proposal to Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmed Kaikaus at the PMO to get the approval from the premier.
Bashundhara Group proposed that a trade centre with 1,50,000 square feet and four convention centres with 90,000 square feet can be turned into hospitals as the country has been fighting to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The premier welcomed the offer and thanked Bashundhara Group for its humanitarian gesture.
The country’s leading business conglomerate also donated Tk 100 million to the PM’s relief fund to help the government face the upcoming challenges.
The Covid-19, which was first reported in China’s Wuhan, has been spread to nearly 200 countries across the globe.
After locking down Wuhan, the Chinese government set up a 1000-bed hospital to treat patients with coronavirus.
Considering the upcoming challenges, the Bashundhara Group proposed the government that it would build the largest hospital in South Asia to pave ways for treating the patients with the deadly bug.
“We believe that the move will play a significant role and help you (Prime Minister) in facing the future challenge of providing treatment for the patients with coronavirus,” Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, chairman of the Bashundhara Group, wrote in his proposal.
