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facilities because of local demand, supply management challenges and patient pressure. Regular monitoring and replenishment efforts are underway to address such shortages, the minister said.

Another lawmaker, Mostafizur Rahman Babul, asked whether patients are forced to rely on private hospitals at high cost due to a limited availability of MRI, CT scan, dialysis, and ICU facilities for diagnosis in government hospitals in the country. In this context, he asked what the ministry’s current plan is to expand modern medical equipment at the district level.

In his answer, Sakhawat said that the procurement process for heavy equipment such as MRI, CT scan, dialysis, and ICU machines had been halted for a long time. “The current government has resumed the procurement process for such heavy equipment, and the procurement process for four MRI machines is now underway.”

“Already, 10-bed ICU services have been introduced in 10 Sadar hospitals. Dialysis and ICU services will be launched in all Sadar hospitals and medical college hospitals in phases.”

Responding to another query from Feni-2 MP Zainal Abdin, the minister highlighted that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is steadily increasing in Bangladesh and is now considered a growing public health challenge.

He explained that the irrational and excessive use of antibiotics, weak infection prevention and control systems, and unregulated use of antimicrobials in both human and animal sectors are driving the problem.

As a result, antibiotic resistant microbes are spreading in the environment, making treatment more complicated. The minister also outlined government initiatives to strengthen pathogen detection and AMR surveillance capacity.