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A new 15-storey building with 500 additional beds is set to be inaugurated at the National Institute of Neurosciences & Hospital (NINS) in Dhaka on Saturday, potentially expanding the country’s capacity for specialised neurological care.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to inaugurate the new facility at 10am, according to NINS officials. Construction of the building has been completed, while most of the medical equipment has already been installed.
With the new facility becoming operational, the hospital’s total bed capacity will rise to 1,000, making it the country’s largest specialised centre for neurological treatment, officials said.
The new NINS Unit-2 building has three basement levels, including parking and service facilities, and 12 floors above ground housing wards, operating theatres and diagnostic units. It includes 112 cabins, a 40-bed ICU and 24 post-operative beds.
The facility also features a 100-bed specialised trauma unit for patients suffering brain and spinal-cord injuries from road crashes, falls and other accidents.
A 24-hour surgical service has been planned, with four operating theatres, two of them modular OTs designed to provide highly controlled sterile environments.
Equipped with German technology, the modern operating theatres are expected to help reduce infection risks during surgery.
The building also has escalators connecting the first to third floors to facilitate the movement of patients, particularly those with paralysis or serious head injuries.
The hospital has a 40-bed ICU, a 20-bed high-dependency unit (HDU) and 62 ventilators.
Two MRI machines, two CT scanners and a catheterisation laboratory (Cath Lab) have also been installed, along with modern sterilisation equipment, a solid-waste management system and a dedicated oxygen plant.
Doctors said stroke patients account for a large share of those seeking treatment at NINS, followed by accident victims with brain and spinal-cord injuries.
The hospital also treats patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease, dementia, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), epilepsy, hydrocephalus and other neurological disorders.
Patients of all age groups, from children to older adults, receive specialised neurological care at the hospital.
During a recent visit, this correspondent found the new building fully equipped with a central air-conditioning system, described by officials as the first such installation at a government medical facility in the country.
NINS Director Prof Dr Mohammad Nuruzzaman Khan told media that 500 beds would be added to the hospital once the new building is inaugurated.
“Many patients currently cannot be admitted because of the shortage of beds.After the inauguration, we will be able to provide quality services to many more patients and reduce the number of patients who have to be turned away,” he said.
The director said the foundation stone of the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital was laid on October 23, 2006, by then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia with the aim of expanding specialised medical services for neurological patients.
“On Begum Khaleda Zia’s birthday, her son, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, is expected to inaugurate the new building. It is a great achievement and a matter of pride for us,” he added.