PM lays foundation of Ahsania Cancer Hospital

Affluent people urged to render services to ensure medicare 'Dhaka needs to seize opportunities of global environment campaign'

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Saturday urged affluent people to establish hospitals in private sector ensuring health service equivalent to the standard of hospitals abroad, earmarking a provision of low-cost or free treatment for the poor, reports UNB.

She made the call during the foundation laying for Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital at Uttara, a big venture in the health sector undertaken by the charity in view of a stark fact that a large number of cancer patients die without, or with improper, treatment.

“It’s not possible to fully ensure health service for a large number of people of the country by the lone efforts of the government with limited resources,” the Prime Minister told the foundation-laying ceremony.

She said the government in its national plan has put stress on the initiative and massive role of private sector—individuals and institutions, private development organisations and voluntary institutions—alongside the government efforts to overcome the shortcomings.

A policy guideline has been formulated to provide government assistance to encourage private sector in taking up various service-oriented projects in various fields, including health, and their implementation, she added.

The Prime Minister was happy to know that the Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital would run with no- profit, no-loss motif, giving equal facility of treatment to the rich and the poor.

Earlier, she unveiled the plaque of the foundation stone of the cancer and general hospital at Uttara sector-10 beside the Dhaka-Asulia road under Mirpur thana. The planned 500-bed hospital, to be housed in a 10-storied building on about 10 bighas of land, will cost over Tk 108 crore. The construction will complete in three years.

Health Minister Dr Khondokar Mosharraf Hossain, Social Welfare Minister Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, State Minister for Overseas Employment Maj (retd) Kamrul Islam, local MP SA Khaleque and executive director of Dhaka Ahsania Mission Kazi Rafiqul Alam also addressed the  ceremony.

Prime Minister Khaleda said it is the fundamental right of people to get healthcare—and improved health service ensures good public health. A healthy nation plays important role in the development of a country’s economy, she observed.

“So we, despite resource constraints, are implementing various programmes to deliver health service to the doorstep of the people and improve its overall quality,“ Khaleda said.

She mentioned that the government this time also gave importance to health service in the budget and increased the allocation. A 3-year health project titled “Health, Nutrition and Population Sector programme” has been implemented at a cost of Tk 9,410 crore to reach the health service on priority basis to poor people and comparatively backward areas.

The Prime Minister listed development activities in the health sector under her government and said advisory and aid committees have been formed for hospitals at all levels under the leadership of local MPs, which she hoped will increase the standard of health service at the grassroots level.

Khaleda said there is no international-standard hospital, especially referral hospital, in the country to provide modern treatment. For this reason rich patients go abroad for treatment, which costs the country huge amounts of hard-earned foreign currencies.

The PM said the government in the new budget also waived import duty on treatment and hospital equipment and materials for referral hospital for expanding modern treatment facilities in the country. As a result, local and foreign investment will increase in setting up modern hospitals in the country.

Prime Minister Khaleda assured all possible assistance from her government for the Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital.