The newly-opened Mugda General Hospital at Mugdapara in the capital started admitting patients yesterday in four of its departments.
Four patients were admitted yesterday in paediatrics, while one was admitted to the medicine department.
The 500-bed hospital has specialists in eight departments, but it is now admitting patients only in medicine, child and autism, surgery and gynaecology. The other departments are dermatology, cardiology, ophthalmology and ENT (eye, nose & throat).
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 13-storey hospital in July last year. It is expected to start full operation by June this year.
Hospital director Dr Md Mustafizur Rahman Mian said the state-run facility would become a centre for healthcare for the residents of Kamalapur, Khilgaon, Bashabo, Mugdapara, Sayedabad and Demra.
“We will start indoor facilities in full swing by June this year, albeit indoor services are limited now,” Mustafizur said.
The hospital has been serving about 300 outpatients daily, from 9am to 12.30 pm, while more than 100 patients have been treated at the separate emergency unit since the beginning of this month.
Akhi, who has been frequenting the outdoor facility with her ailing daughter, said: “I get medicine from here and sometimes, I need to buy medicines from outside, too.”
Dr Nadia Fatima, a medical officer at the outdoor unit, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are trying our best to serve the patients with whatever we have now. If we cannot help them here, we tell them where else to go for treatment.”
As all the departments have not started operation yet, the hospital now refers patients to other government hospitals, such as the Dhaka Medical College Hospital or Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
The Mugda hospital was established on 3.85 hectares of land under a Tk1.1bn project of the health and family welfare ministry to offer health services to the people of the eastern part of the city. Then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia laid the hospital’s foundation stone in July 2006.
Meanwhile, the finance ministry has sanctioned 650 posts of doctors, nurses, technicians and other staff for the hospital. Some 195 nurses and 86 doctors have already been appointed, while the recruitment of 113 low-level staff in 32 categories is now underway.