A total of 10 hospitals under the Bangladesh Railway are being opened to the general public.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to jointly operate these hospitals.
The MoU was signed on Monday in the conference room of the ministry of health at the Secretariat.
The secretary of the Health Services Division and the director general of Bangladesh Railway signed the memorandum.
According to the agreement, after infrastructural and healthcare-related developments are completed, the general public will be able to receive medical services at these 10 railway hospitals.
During the press briefing following the agreement, it was stated that a team from the Ministry of Health will visit the railway hospitals next week to assess what infrastructural improvements are needed and submit a report.
Adviser to the Ministry of Railways Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said: “After receiving the report from the ministry of health, steps will be taken to make the necessary infrastructural improvements.”
Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum said: “It is not possible to immediately open the railway hospitals to the public. However, we will make every effort to provide medical services to the public as soon as possible. The Ministry of Health will formulate a policy in this regard.”
There is currently a shortage of 8,000 doctors in the country, she said.
She mentioned that 2,000 doctors will be recruited through a special BCS by September 15.
The adviser further said: “There are 10 railway hospitals across the country. Currently, they have a total of 431 beds. Until now, these facilities were allocated for railway officers and employees.”
Additionally, the government will determine what short-term and long-term measures are necessary to ensure medical services for the general public, the health adviser added.
