Amid an ongoing exodus of Bangladeshi patients seeking treatment abroad, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) stands poised to lead the country towards a future as a medical tourism hub. Local residents, frustrated by inadequate healthcare facilities, are expressing their hopes for improved medical infrastructure and services that could, in turn, attract patients from neighboring countries. Bijoy Sikdar, a resident of Mohammadpur, is among those who have frequently travelled to India for his father's medical treatment. "If our country had better medical facilities, we wouldn’t need to go abroad; instead, people from other countries would come here for treatment," he shared, underscoring the urgency of developing local healthcare facilities. The sentiment is echoed by Rezaul Karim, who had to take his son, Shakhor Karim, to India for neurological care. "The costs aren’t much higher there than here. Dhaka Medical is overwhelmed with patients, making timely care challenging," he explained. Similar accounts from Habib Khan, who frequently seeks treatment in India and Thailand, stress the need for an upgraded system that allows for comprehensive, timely care. Despite Bangladesh’s array of skilled doctors, government hospitals such as Dhaka Medical struggle under the pressure of an overwhelming patient load. A specialist at DMCH, wishing to remain anonymous, cited the hospital’s lack of essential equipment and capacity for treating complex diseases. "We are forced to watch as patients go abroad, knowing they could be treated here if we were better equipped," he said. The Bangladesh Outbound Tour Operators Forum reports that approximately 800,000 people from Bangladesh seek medical treatment abroad annually. India is the most popular destination for these medical tourists, with Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia also being significant choices. Plans for Transformation Responding to these concerns, Brigadier General Asaduzzaman Khan, the Director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, expressed a clear vision for transforming the hospital into a medical tourism destination. "Our expansion plan includes a new building for foreign patients, specialised services, advanced equipment, and an increase in bed capacity to 5,000," he shared, adding that conversations with health advisers have already begun. Read: Hygiene in Dhaka Medical College Hospital remains a major concern The director highlighted that these steps, if implemented across government hospitals, could not only enhance public trust but also draw patients from other countries. "It’s a vision that requires investment and strategic planning, but it’s achievable," he said. Challenges and Missed Opportunities However, Dhaka Medical’s existing infrastructure continues to be plagued by severe mismanagement. Patient care is hindered by a nearly doubled patient load compared to seating capacity, leading to scenes of overcrowded corridors and unhygienic conditions. The lack of sufficient resources and infrastructure has driven countless patients to seek alternatives abroad, undermining the hospital's potential to be a regional healthcare leader. Director Asaduzzaman Khan acknowledged these persistent issues and reflected on missed opportunities. "If we had prioritised replacing old buildings and constructing new ones earlier, perhaps we wouldn’t face this overwhelming chaos now," he said, pointing out that timely planning could have prevented the current burden of patient overflows and corruption-related challenges. A History of Growth Established in 1946 following the partition of India, Dhaka Medical College has grown from an institution with just four departments to one that now accommodates numerous departments and thousands of students. Expansion efforts over the decades have added new buildings and facilities, including a complex inaugurated in 2013. However, despite these developments, patient demand has consistently outstripped capacity. Read more: Mismanagement and overcrowding plague Dhaka Medical College Hospital Today, Bangladesh boasts 39 public medical colleges and 68 private ones, with government seats numbering 5,380 and private seats at 6,040 for aspiring MBBS students. While these numbers suggest significant growth in medical education, the capacity to serve patients locally remains inadequate. Future Prospects As Bangladesh’s premier healthcare institution, Dhaka Medical College Hospital holds immense potential to advance Bangladesh’s position in medical tourism, provided that urgent steps are taken to rectify existing infrastructure issues and manage patient volumes effectively. With strategic investments and an organised approach, Bangladesh can realise a future where not only does it retain its citizens for medical treatment, but it also attracts international patients seeking quality care.

Three people including a housewife sustained burn injuries in a fire from a gas stove in Dhaka’s Jurain last night (February 10, 2024). The burnt Bina Rani Das, 35, her brother-in-laws (cousins of her husband) Banomali Das, 30, and Topu Das, 32, are now undergoing treatment at the Burn Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). Read more: Fire Safety Tips for Parents to Keep Children Safe According to the family, a fire suddenly broke out from the gas stove when Bina was cooking around 6 pm. Hearing her screams, Banomali and Topu rushed to the kitchen and sustained burn injuries while trying to save her by dousing the flame. Md Bachhu Miah, in-charge of the DMCH police outpost, confirmed the matter saying that Bina received 50 percent burn injuries while Banomli had 20 percent burns and Topu sustained minor injuries. Read more: Fire Safety in Apartments: Causes and Prevention

Bodies of two sisters were recovered from their flat in Dhaka’s Hajaribagh thana's Kalinagar area on Monday (November 13, 2023). The deceased were identified as Jesmin Akter, 44 and her younger sister Nasrin Akter, 35. Both the bodies bore several marks of injuries and those were kept at the morgue of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), said SI Shawon Kumar of Hazaribagh Police Station. Read: 20 BNP men arrested in Chattogram Nazir Hossain, brother of the deceased, said both of his sisters had been suffering from mental health problems. He said Nasrin killed elder sister Jesmine first and then committed suicide. When the family members entered their room  they found Jesmin’s throat-slit body lying on the floor and Nasrin alive with injuries, he said. Read: Missing autorickshaw driver found dead in Laxmipur  She was rushed to the DMCH where she succumbed to her injuries around 12:15 am. It will be known after investigation whether they were murdered or committed suicide, said SI Shawon Kumar.

Two students of Dhaka University (DU) were injured in an attack by miscreants in the Ramna Kali Mandir area of the city early today (October 22, 2023). The injured Sourav Sarkar, 25, and Sumit, 23, are students of the Craft and Sculpture departments, respectively, of the university and residents of Jagannath Hall. Senior students of the hall said the duo, accompanied by others, went out of the hall to visit Durga Puja mandaps at night. Prof  Maksud Kamal made 29th VC of Dhaka University An altercation occurred between the two and some miscreants near the Ramna Kali Mandir around 2 am. The reason behind the incident could not be known immediately. At one stage, the miscreants beat them up and stabbed Sourav in the stomach with a sharp object, they said. DU introduces 'The Dhaka University Trust Fund’ Returning to the hall, the duo went to their seniors, who first took them to the university’s medical centre. Later, Sourav was moved to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), said the hospital’s police outpost in-charge, Md Bachhu Mia. Dhaka University's IBA wins 'Battle of Minds' competition Quoting physicians, he said that Sourav's condition was critical.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday (October 16, 2023) pledged that the state-run Dhaka Medical College Hospital will be upgraded with ultra-modern facilities if her party wins the next general election to form the government. “Inshallah if we get chance in the next time, we will upgrade Dhaka Medical College Hospital and all district and upazila hospitals,” she said while inaugurating various projects under the ministries of water resources and health. She joined the programme from her official residence, Ganabhaban, through video link. Dev projects must not damage rivers and canals: PM Hasina asks officials The parliamentary elections in Bangladesh are due in the first week of next January. Hasina said that the aim of her government is to establish one medical university in each division. “We need doctors, nurses and skilled manpower; we have allocated separate funds for the research on medical science,” she said. In this connection, she mentioned that the government has created specialised hospitals and institutes to create skilled manpower in the country. “We have a plan to upgrade Dhaka Medical College Hospital to 4000-5000-bed ultra modern hospital,” she said. PM hosts dinner for artists, crew of Bangabandhu biopic at Ganabhaban She also said that the government could have done this during the current tenure. “…but COVID-19 and expenditure for vaccine procurement and other related huge expenditures could not allow us to do that,” she said. She also briefly described various expenditures of the government for bringing vaccines for immunisation programme to combat COVID-19. "We had been able to save the lives of the people from the pandemic despite the fact that thousands of people died from it across the globe including many in rich ones. But, we had to spend plenty of money to this end." PM Hasina calls for ending Israeli repression against Palestinians The prime minister said they have upgraded each of the 32-bed upazila hospitals to 50-bed ones and 100-bed district hospital to 250-bed ones while big district hospitals were upgraded to 500-bed hospitals. She said they have appointed 40000 nurses and 22000 physicians alongside launching construction of houses for their accommodation. "We are making arrangements to make sure that the healthcare services don’t suffer any negligence," she said. The prime minister said they have built community hospitals across the country to reach primary healthcare services to every doorstep following the footsteps of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The community centres are distributing 30 types of medicines free of cost. She said the facilities are helping greatly to reduce the child and mother mortality rate in Bangladesh. After assuming power, she said the BNP-Jamaat government had stopped the community based healthcare services on the plea that the people who are working and taking healthcare services from those will cast vote for the Awami League despite the fact that the clinics have been rendering healthcare services to all irrespective their political affiliation. "The BNP-Jamaat alliance doesn't think about the welfare of the people rather busy making their own fortunes. Their mindset is narrow," she said. Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque and State Minister for Water Resources Ministry Zaheed Farooque also spoke at the programme. Two separate video documentaries on the activities of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry and Water Resources Ministry were screened on the occasion. Sheikh Hasina virtually inaugurated "65 community eye centres" at 65 Upazila Health Complexes in 28 districts, in the fourth phase, as part of the move to set up the facility at every upazila across the country under Health and Family Welfare Ministry. From the same programme, she also opened 80 developed schemes and re-digging of 430 small rivers, canals and water bodies and laid the foundation stone of 20 new development projects under the Water Resources Ministry. Sharsha Upazila of Jashore, Sathià Upazila of Pabna and Shreemongol Upazila of Moulovibazar district were connected virtually to the programme. The prime minister unveiled the cover of a book titled "Joyjatra" featuring the development schemes implemented in the last 15 years. Later, she talked to different beneficiaries through videoconferencing.  

A 55-year-old prisoner, convicted in a drug case, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital early Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Shamsul Haque of Damuddya in Shariatpur upazila. Shamsul was sentenced to life imprisonment in a drug case. He was serving his sentence in Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj. Another death in custody as prisoner dies at DMCH Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s police outpost, said Shamsul fell ill at Dhaka Central Jail and prison guard Mahbubur and others took him to DMCH on Tuesday night. Under-trial prisoner dies Shamsul breathed his last around 2:20 am. The body has been kept at the morgue of the hospital. Under-trial prisoner dies at DMCH

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the government has undertaken a new plan to modernize Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) so that 4,000 patients can be treated at a time there. "We have already prepared a new plan to develop the hospital into a larger, more beautiful, and more modern establishment. We have prepared the plan so that 4,000 patients can receive treatment there at a time," she said. The PM said this while addressing the celebration ceremony of the 78th Dhaka Medical College Day through a virtual platform from her office in Dhaka. Criticise for country's welfare, not to damage it: PM Hasina tells journalists The Dhaka Medical College Alumni Trust arranged the function at the Shaheed Dr Shamsul Alam Khan Auditorium of the college. Sheikh Hasina put emphasis on the immediate implementation of the new plan. "If this plan for the hospital can be started soon, it will set an example in healthcare services," she said. The PM asked the physicians and medical experts to pay extensive attention to medical science research, as the number of such studies is still low in Bangladesh. "Only a handful of people conduct research here. But research is indispensable in this age. You should pay more attention to research," she said. PM urges JICA to allow farmers to use wastage of sea water in the desalination project at Matarbari The Prime Minister said her government will create all sorts of opportunities for medical research. "We'll provide funds as required," she added. She lauded the doctors of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital for putting the highest effort into providing treatment. "Patients are getting the best treatment at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital," she said. She added that her government has been working to provide healthcare services to every person across the country. The PM, however, expressed her dismay as no surgery is conducted in several district hospitals due to a lack of anesthesiologists, and many modern medical equipments remain unused there. Democracy must continue to sustain country's dev momentum: PM Hasina She asked the physicians to perform their duties properly at the hospitals, particularly in rural areas, by remaining at their workstations. "Everyone (physician) wants to stay in Dhaka, and no one wants to go out of the city. Discharge your duties properly," she said. Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, and President of Bangladesh Medical Association Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, among others, were present at the function presided over by DMC Alumni Trust Chairman Dr Julfiker Rahman Khan.

An accused in the BDR mutiny case died at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday, police said. The deceased was identified as Md. Abed Ali, 57, son of late Masir Uddin. He was an accused in a case over 2009 BDR mutiny and an inmate of Dhaka Central Jail. Read: BDR mutiny accused who was in Dhaka Central Jail dies He was taken to DMCH on June 7 from jail after he fell sick and died in the medicine ward of the hospital at around 10:08am on Tuesday. DMCH police outpost In-Charge Inspector Md Bacchu Miah said the body was kept at the hospital morgue for autopsy. Also Read: Convict in BDR mutiny case dies at Kashimpur Jail Seventy-four people, including 57 army officials, were killed in the mutiny in the capital's Pilkhana headquarters of the erstwhile Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) on February 25 and 26 in 2009. A total of 58 cases, including one for murder and looting and the rest for mutiny, were filed in connection with the incident. Also Read: Death row convict in BDR mutiny case dies at DMCH Some 152 people were sentenced to death and 423 others to different jail terms in the case. Besides, 277 accused were acquitted.

A student of Jagannath University, who sustained burn injuries in a gas pipeline explosion at Dhupkhola Bazar in Gandaria area of Dhaka city on Monday, died at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery early Saturday. The deceased was identified as Mehedi Hasan Shaon, 22, son of Abdul Latif from Sadar upazila in Natore district. With 30% burn injuries, Shaon was undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, where he succumbed to his injuries around 6:15 am today, said Inspector Bachhu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp. Earlier, on Monday, at least nine people sustained burn injuries in a gas pipeline explosion in Dhupkhola Bazar area. Also read: 2 women among 9 burnt in gas line explosion in Dhaka The injured were Md Sohel, 42, Mehedi Hasan Shaon, 22, Ali Hossain, 52, Rashed Miah, 32, Sahara Begum, 65, Abdur Rahim, 50, Mim Akter, 22, Alif, 22, Mizanur Rahman, 32. Of them, Abdur Rahim and Shaon received around 40 and 30 percent burns, respectively. All the injured were admitted to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery and Burn Unit. According to a statement of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, a contractor of WASA was setting up pipes for water supply in the area on Monday morning. The explosion occurred in the morning when the gas pipelines were damaged during digging by the WASA contractor, it said. Responding to the call, an emergency team from Titas Gas rushed to the spot and fixed the issue, it read.  

One of the two victims who suffered serious burn injury in a fire at their house in Fatullah of Narayanganj on Sunday died at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) early Monday. Sukhi Begum, 20, breathed her last at around 6 am at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery while undergoing treatment there. Md Bacchu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) police outpost, confirmed the matter to UNB. Sukhi Begum’s husband Al Amin, 25, is still receiving treatment. Also Read: Couple sustains burn injuries in N’ganj ‘gas-leak’ fire The fire broke out after a blast in the kitchen around 1:30 pm, leaving the couple injured, according to Fire Service sources. Fakhr Uddin, deputy assistant director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defense, said the fire might have broken out due to accumulated gas as the windows of the room were found closed during the incident. The windowpanes and doors of the house were also blown away, and the window panes of four rooms adjacent to the house were also broken. Some people standing outside of the house were also slightly injured during the explosion and subsequent fire. On information, a firefighting unit rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire.