STAFF CORRESPONDENT

The Super Specialised Hospital at Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), which has remained underutilised for around four years, will be made fully functional within six months, newly appointed Vice Chancellor Prof FM Siddiqui said yesterday.

Prof Saifulllah Munshi, director of the 750-bed facility built at a cost of Tk 1,868 crore, said the hospital could not be fully operational due to a lack of manpower. Recruitment delays have been the main obstacle, he added.

The hospital, established with a loan from South Korea, was inaugurated in September 2022. However, no dedicated workforce has been appointed so far, and only limited services are being provided using BMU’s existing staff and budget.

The facility aims to offer world-class healthcare and reduce the need for Bangladeshis to seek treatment abroad. It includes five specialised centres: Cardio and Cerebrovascular, Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplant, Mother and Child Healthcare, Kidney Disease and Urology, and Accident and Emergency.

The recruitment process during the Awami League tenure was halted over allegations of corruption. An attempt was made to recruit manpower during the interim government, but it failed.

Prof Siddiqui, who took charge on April 5, said making the super specialised hospital fully functional is one of his top priorities.

Around Tk 2,000 crore has been spent to build the hospital, but it could not be made fully functional due to complexities over recruitments, said the BMU VC.

“Changes will come within three to six months, and the hospital will become dynamic within this time,” he said “We

SEE PAGE 10 COL 5