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Ten projects, including a project titled “Establishment of China Aid 150 Bedded Burn Unit at Chittagong Medical College Hospital in Bangladesh”, are set to be approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Thursday.
The ninth ECNEC session of the current fiscal year will take place at the NEC conference room at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
At the meeting, the government aims to approve 10 projects from various ministries and organisations, said sources. Besides, the ECNEC will be informed of four other projects.
In response to the alarming rate of burn cases, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare sent a project proposal to the Planning Commission with an estimated cost of Tk284.76 crore, a planning commission official said.
According to the Development Project Proposal, China will contribute Tk179.83 crore while Bangladesh will allocate the remaining 104.93 crore for the project.
The DGHS envisions will implement the project, bringing essential burn treatment closer to the population in Chattogram and surrounding areas.
Earlier on 30 March last year, the two countries signed an agreement to set up the specialised burn unit to boost the healthcare services in the Chattogram region.
The project aims to provide affordable treatment for burn patients, benefitting around four crore people in Chattogram and nearby districts.
According to the project proposal, it is the urgency of the burn unit, stating that 50-60 burn patients seek treatment daily. Lack of space and management has hindered effective treatment, making the burn unit a crucial need.
The proposed six-storey building on a seven-storey foundation will house three operation theatres, ten intensive care units, and 25 high-dependency units. The project aims to create employment for approximately 1,065 people and develop a skilled workforce for burn patients treatment.
Chattogram, known for its heavy industries, garment factories, and shipbreaking yards face challenges in accessing services at Dhaka’s Central Burn Institute. The burn unit project, initiated with Chinese support following a feasibility study in 2016, aims to address the healthcare gap in the region.
Under the agreement, the Chinese government will provide grant support for specific sectors, including project design, construction machinery, medical equipment, and technical assistance. Bangladesh will bear costs related to project construction, land allocation, environmental impact assessment, and other expenses.
Other projects proposed in the meeting include Capacity Building of Statistics Service based on Platform, Land acquisition, Land Development and Construction of Basic Infrastructure for establishment of Sheikh Hasina Medical University in Khulna, Important Rural Infrastructure Development Project: Pirojpur and Jhalkathi Districts , Development of important rural infrastructure in Barisal district, Program for Sustainability in the Textile and Leather Sector (STILE), Conversion of Chhatak Cement Company’s production method from wet process to dry process (1st revised), Construction of new state-of-the-art circuit house building in place of existing circuit house building in Dhaka district, Construction of various infrastructural facilities of newly created Gazipur (63 BGB) Battalion of Border Guard Bangladesh and Urban Resilience Project (URP): Part of DDM (3rd Revised).
