In a major move to decentralise the country's healthcare system, the government has approved a China-supported 1000-bed hospital in Bangladesh's northern district Nilphamari, officials said.
Presided over by the Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project at the cost of Tk 24.59 billion along with 24 others at its meeting on Sunday.
Under the "Establishment of a 1,000-bed Bangladesh-China Friendship General Hospital, the project aims to provide advanced medical services to the people of the northern region and neighboring countries. Planning Advisor Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud said.
Although the fund from China (nearly Tk 22.80 billion) is not formally confirmed yet, the government had been assured of getting the grant from the world's second largest economy, said Dr Mahmud.
Describing the reasons behind the establishment of the hospital in the northern frontier district, the Planning Advisor said the project aims to reduce the heavy reliance on tertiary hospitals in the capital and serve the people in the extreme village areas.
"Apart from the local patients, the global standard hospital will also be able to provide treatments to the patients in the neighbouring countries too," he said.
If we want real decentralisation, large and advanced institutions--whether universities, hospitals or technology institutes--must be established outside
Dhaka, he mentioned.
Dr Mahmud said Nilphamari's location in the Rangpur region, which is traditionally affected by poverty and seasonal hardship, made it a strategic choice.
The ECNEC also endorsed 24 more projects with an aggregate cost of Tk 451.91 billion.
The proposed Nilphamari hospital, named the Bangladesh-China Friendship General Hospital, is viewed as a "gift" from the Chinese government to mark five decades of diplomatic ties and is set to transform the medical landscape of North Bengal.
According to the project proposal, China will provide Tk Tk 22.19 billion while the rest fund Tk 1.79 billion would be available from the government of Bangladesh.
China will also provide the infrastructure and modern medical equipment.
The hospital will be built on 25 acres of land at the site of the old Darwani Textile Mills, located along the Saidpur-Nilphamari road, just 10-12 kilometers from Saidpur Airport.
Designed as a 10-story facility with the capacity of serving 6,000 to 9,500 people daily, the hospital will have specialised departments namely Oncology, Neurology, Cardiology, Nephrology, and Maternal-Neonatal Care along with a dedicated dialysis center featuring 200 machines and modular operation theaters.
A helipad and an automated ambulance system for emergency transfers would also be available at the hospital when it would be ready to serve patients in December 2029.
The main hospital building will feature a semi-basement covering approximately 993,691 square feet; a 10-storey professors' and senior doctors' quarters with semi-basement (96,800 square feet); a 10-storey doctors' dormitory with studio apartments (65,000 square feet); a two-storey duplex building for directors; two six-storey nurses' dormitory buildings; two 10-storey residential buildings for second-and third-class employees; a two-storey mosque; a one-storey hospital kitchen; a waste management plant; a five-storey service building; a hospital gas manifold and Vacuum Insulated Evaporator (VIE) tank facility; a helipad and automated ambulance system; and a two-storey generator and substation building.
Planning Advisor Prof Mahmud said the government has decided not to borrow overseas loans for improving the country's education and health sector.
"The foreign loans shall only be borrowed for the projects which will attract investment and export. Then their loan repayment will be easy for us," he said.
Meanwhile, among the ECNEC approved projects, 14 are new and six are revised ones while five of the projects got time extension.
Under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, two projects were approved for widening and upgrading the Rangamati (Manikchhari)-Mahalchhari-Khagrachhari regional highway (R-162) at Tk 10.64 billion and upgrading three regional highways and one district road under the Munshiganj Roads Division Tk13.59 billion.
A revised project under the Housing and Public Works Ministry was approved without increasing its Tk 43.15 billion cost for the construction of an elevated expressway from Lalkhan Bazar to Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram.
The Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry received approval for two projects relating to strengthening the existing runway and taxiway at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram at Tk 6.22 billion and introducing tourism facilities at Parki in Chattogram at a cost of Tk 712.55 million.
Two projects under the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry were approved for promoting women entrepreneurship in sanitation and developing important rural infrastructure in Cumilla district at Tk 863.56 million.
The Home Ministry secured approval for two projects including the construction of police outposts, investigation centres, camps, naval police centres, railway police stations and outposts, tourist police centres and highway police stations and outposts across the country at Tk 7.07 billion as well as construction of district offices of the Department of Narcotics Control under its first phase.
One revised project under Bangladesh Railway was approved for constructing a single-line dual-gauge railway track from Dohazari via Ramu to Cox's Bazar and from Ramu to Gundum near the Myanmar border at Tk 180.34 billion cost.
The Youth and Sports Ministry received approval for the revised project aimed at generating employment through freelancing training for educated job-seeking youths in all 64 districts at Tk 3.74 billion.
Two revised projects under the Textiles and Jute Ministry got approved for the establishment of Sylhet Textile Engineering College at Tk 1.31 billion and Sylhet Textile Institute project at Tk1.14 billion cost.
The Primary and Mass Education Ministry received approval for the project titled alternative education opportunities for out-of-school children at Tk 1.58 billion cost.
Two projects--including the Ashuganj-Palash Green Project at Tk 4.70 billion and the Smallholder Agricultural Competitiveness Project (third revision)--got approved under Agriculture Ministry with an aggregate cost of Tk 8.16 billion..
Six projects under the Water Resources Ministry were approved, covering sustainable river management in Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts at Tk 6.79 billion, dredging and construction of a rubber dam on the Mahananda River in Chapainawabganj at Tk 1.82 billion, protection of both banks of the Padma River in Chapainawabganj at Tk 7.48 billion, erosion control along the Tetulia River in Mehendiganj upazila of Barishal at Tk 7.39 billion, protection of the right bank of the Padma River at Majhirghat Zero Point in Zajira upazila of Shariatpur district at Tk 12.02 billion, and integrated water and land resources management to improve livelihoods in the Arial Beel area at Tk 156 billion.
One revised project under the Science and Technology Ministry for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant construction was also approved at Tk 1.38-trillion cost.
The ECNEC meeting was also apprised of progress on 10 projects, each costing less than Tk 500 million, which had already been approved by the Planning Adviser.
They include development projects of selected government colleges, Bangladesh University of Professionals, strengthening the Education Engineering Department through establishment of headquarters and district offices, completion of partially implemented science and education infrastructure projects, expansion of ambulance services of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, construction of RAB headquarters, widening and development of a national highway section in Narail town, and revision of the Saidpur 150 MW power plant project.
Besides, a project has been renamed as establishment of the permanent campus of Bangladesh Maritime University.
© 2026 - All Rights with The Financial Express
