150-bed burns unit at Chattogram Medical College Hospital still 18 months away

Construction of the long-awaited specialised facility is only 26 percent complete, leaving critically burned patients dependent on transfers to Dhaka

The construction of a 150-bed specialised burns unit at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) is progressing slowly, with treatment services unlikely to begin for at least another one and a half years, hospital officials have said.

Work on the six-storey facility, being built in the hospital’s Goachi Bagan area under a China-aided project, has reached only 26 percent completion.

Once operational, the unit is expected to offer intensive care (ICU) and high-dependency unit (HDU) services for burn victims across the region.

At present, CMCH operates the only burns unit in the entire Chattogram Division, serving 11 districts. However, the existing 26-bed unit lacks ICU facilities, forcing critically injured patients to be transferred to Dhaka, often with fatal delays.

The issue resurfaced sharply after a fire triggered by an explosion in a residential building in Halishahar early on Monday left nine people, including three children, severely burnt.

Three of the victims sustained 100 percent burns, while others suffered injuries ranging from 20 to 80 percent. Due to the absence of advanced care facilities in Chattogram, the most critical patients were sent to Dhaka.

Hospital Director Brig Gen Mohammad Taslim Uddin said construction work up to the second-floor slab had been completed and that Chinese engineers were overseeing the project.

“There is no funding shortage. Once completed, the unit will include ICU and HDU services, as well as hyperbaric oxygen therapy equipment, which is currently unavailable outside Dhaka,” he said, expressing hope that the project would be completed by mid-next year.

Associate Professor Rafiquddin Ahmed of the burns unit said the project’s original deadline was June this year and that an extension until June next year had been requested. He added that CMCH treats around 15,000 burn patients annually, with beds rarely vacant.

The project, costing Tk 2.85 billion, is jointly funded by China and Bangladesh. Officials say the facility, once opened, will partially ease the long-standing burden on burn care for an estimated 40 million people from Cumilla to Teknaf.