Dhaka, Nov 2 (bdnews24.com) – Health minister AFM Ruhul Haque said Monday that all district, upazila and large government hospitals are to be given web camera facilities by June next year so patients in remote areas can get medical assistance by video conferencing.

"Till now civil surgeons of 64 districts have been given computers, internet access and web cameras," Haque told parliament during the question and answer session.

"Many of them have already started telemedicine operations through video conferencing at combined district hospitals."

"In the next fiscal year, all community hospitals will be given PCs or mini laptops with web cameras in phases."

The minister said, in addition, all district and upazila hospitals already had mobile phones, with the numbers available on the health department's website.

"Local people can call these numbers and get physician's advice both day and night."

Answering a question from Hafizuddin Ahmed, MP for Thakurgaon-3, the minister said a post had been created for every community clinic for a Community Health Care Provider (CHCP).

"Within the next five years a CHCP will be appointed for 13,500 community clinics. Appointments will start soon."

Replying to another question from Nazim Uddin Ahmed, MP for Lakkhipur-1, the health minister also informed parliament of plans to construct six new hospitals in Dhaka and Chittagong.

The government is looking to construct three new general hospitals in Dhaka, at Khilgaon, Mirpur and Kurmitola, of 500 beds each, said Haque.

Shyamoli would get a 250-bed tuberculosis hospital, and the capital would also get an Institute of Neurosciences with 300 beds, though the location was not yet fixed, he said.

Chittagong would get a Tropical Medicine Institute with 100 beds, he said.

Other than this, Dinajpur would see a children's hospital, Shariatpur would get a 20-bed mother and child care hospital and Sunamganj a 20-bed hospital, said the minister.

The health minister also said, in response to a query by Shah Jikrul Ahmed, MP for Brahmanbaria-5, that 2.9 million Oseltamivir capsules are in stock for fighting swine flu.

Of these one million doses are stored centrally and the rest distributed around the country.

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