The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is setting up a specialised 250 bed National Institute of the ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) hospital at a cost of Tk620m in the capital’s Tejgaon area. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to formally inaugurate the eight-storey hospital Wednesday, and it would be opened for patients within a short time.
Sources said that outdoor service would begin within a few days, while the indoor services needed some more time for preparations.
Prof Dr Abdullah, project director of the ENT institute told Dhaka Tribune: “It will be a unique modern hospital for the thousands of deaf patient of the country.”
To run the institute, 56 doctors, 60 nurses and other officials and staff totaling 264 employees have already been appointed.
There are seven high-tech and well equipped operation theatres in the hospital.
According to a joint service conduct by the National Centre for Hearing and Speech with the collaboration of the WHO in 2002, around 13m people suffered from deafness, which was nearly 9% of the population.
Earlier, during the caretaker government regime, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry formed a National Committee for Prevention of Deafness headed by the then Health Adviser Shawkat Ali. The committee met and took the decision to establish a National Institute of ENT to curtail the number of 90% deaf patients by 2030.
Prof Dr Khondokar Md Sifayet Ullah, director general of Health Services told the Dhaka Tribune:“It is one of the privilege projects under health ministry. The institute will be 12 storied. Though it is a 250-bed hospital, but at present it will begin service with 100 beds. Gradually it will be transformed to 250-bed hospital.”
Prof Abdullah informed that the number of deaf patients is higher in the countries in the South East Asia Region. Deaf patients in the country will get modern treatment from this hospital, he added.