Faulty Hospital Designs Alleged in Ongoing Health Sector Projects
Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain has stated that the engineering structural plans of hospitals currently under construction by the Health Department in recent years are flawed. He made the remarks on Sunday, 29 March, in response to a question during a resumed sitting of the first session of the 13th National Parliament.
The session resumed at 3:00 pm after a 13-day recess, with Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal in the chair. During the session, ruling party Member of Parliament from Gaibandha-4, Shamim Kaiser, drew the attention of the Minister for Health and Family Welfare to the issue of upgrading Gobindaganj Upazila Hospital in Gaibandha district to a 100-bed facility.
Responding under a notice on matters of urgent public importance (Rule-71), the Health Minister said that in the past, infrastructure work for hospitals had been initiated through ill-planning (poor planning) with the aim of making money, which also led to widespread misappropriation. He noted that the engineering structural designs of hospitals under construction are flawed. “You will see that bathrooms have been constructed in the middle without any proper planning, even along the entrance pathways. As a result, people will not be able to use those areas due to foul smells,” he said. He added that these projects were hurriedly undertaken with ill-planning for financial gain, resulting in corruption and mismanagement.
In response to the notice raised by Mohammad Shamim Kaiser, the minister further said that widespread corruption and looting took place in the health sector during the tenure of the previous “fascist Awami League government.” As a result, there is currently no fund available for development work in the health sector. “There is not even enough money to purchase gauze, bandages, and syringes for Upazila Health Complexes. Everything has been exhausted. Even what remained from the previous caretaker government has been depleted,” he added.
“However, discussions have been held with the Prime Minister two to three times regarding the situation across the country. Insha’Allah, after the upcoming budget, we will gradually carry out the necessary infrastructure development within our limited resources to ensure healthcare services reach people in every Upazila of the country,” added Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain.
The first session of the 13th National Parliament began on 12 March and is scheduled to continue until 30 April.
DBTech/FI/EK/OR
