All upazila health complexes to be upgraded to 101 beds

The government has taken an initiative to upgrade all upazila health complexes across the country to 101 beds in order to strengthen the healthcare sector and deliver advanced medical services to people's doorsteps.

On Wednesday, June 3, the Directorate General of Health Services issued a directive instructing all upazila health complexes to prepare accordingly and cooperate with inspection activities. The order was signed by Professor Dr Jalal Uddin Mohammad Ruhi, director of the administration division of the DGHS.

According to the directive, a decision has been made under the initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in light of the prime minister's directives, to upgrade all upazila health complexes under the DGHS to 101 beds.

The directive stated that this initiative is being implemented to improve the quality of healthcare at the upazila level and ensure greater facilities for patients. Currently, many upazila health complexes have a limited number of beds, causing various difficulties for patients in receiving treatment. Increasing the number of beds will allow more patients to be admitted and treated at the upazila level, thereby reducing pressure on district hospitals.

As part of implementing the decision, inspection teams comprising representatives from the Public Works Department and other relevant ministries and institutions will visit the upazila health complexes. These inspections will assess infrastructure capacity, existing buildings, expansion potential, necessary repairs and the feasibility of installing additional beds.

Upazila Health and Family Planning Officers have been instructed to fully cooperate with the inspection teams. They have also been asked to ensure necessary data, documents and local-level arrangements for the smooth conduct of the inspections.

Upgrading upazila health complexes to 101 beds will expand the scope of healthcare services, enhancing capabilities in maternal health, child health, emergency care, medicine, surgery and other specialised services. It will also significantly reduce the need for patients to travel long distances to district or divisional hospitals.