The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved six projects at a cost of Tk. 8,749,680,000 on Tuesday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting being connected to the NEC conference room in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar through video conference from Ganabhaban.
Among other projects approved in the meeting was the ‘Capacity Enhancement of Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) Mitford, Cumilla, Faridpur, Barishal and Bogra’ project.
An allocation of Tk. 214 crore 79 lakh was sought for this project. According to the project proposal, it will be implemented by Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission by June 2025.The project includes the purchase of 103 foreign machinery and other equipment, 628 purchase of local machinery and other equipment, 769 procurement of furniture, purchase of electrical equipment. Apart from this, the project money will be spent on the rental of three vehicles.
After the project is passed, some new modern equipment will be procured for the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INSAM) Mitford, Cumilla, Faridpur, Barishal and Bogra and infrastructural development will be done to enhance patient services. Nasima Begum, a member of the Socio-Economic Infrastructure Department of the Planning Commission, who is in charge of the project, hopes that the poor and ordinary people of the mentioned districts of the country will be given the latest and advanced nuclear medical services at minimum cost.
She said that the project will be infrastructural development to increase patient services. To provide the latest and advanced nuclear medical services to the poor and common people of the mentioned districts of the country by increasing the capacity of the institutes in diagnosis and improving the patient control system and providing various types of diagnosis and treatment through nuclear methods will pave the way. Which will indirectly contribute to the country’s foreign exchange savings and socio-economic development as well.
Earlier, the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting was held on April 13 this year after receiving a proposal from the Ministry of Science and Technology. Following the recommendations given in that meeting, the project was recommended to be presented in the next meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
It is to be noted that, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission has been providing nuclear medicine services for more than 50 years along with various research activities. The scope of this medical service has been increased by establishing Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) in government medical college hospital campuses located in different parts of the country in order to provide low cost nuclear medical services to the general public. The installed in-masses can detect cancer, coronary artery disease, brain disorders, liver, gall bladder, kidney disease, uterine and ovarian disease, thyroid, breast and other small organs examination by ultrasound machine, diagnosis of blood vessel disease of hands and feet, aneurysm detection of abdominal artery, A BMD machine is used to diagnose osteoporosis and measure the extent of improvement after treatment. The facility also offers thyroid cancer treatment through radiotherapy.