Japan to set up two 500-bed hospitals in Bangladesh

Grameen Bank chairman Professor Muhammad Yunus and Chairman of Japanese health sector giant Tokushukai Medical Corporation (TMC) Dr Torao Tokuda yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish the well-equipped health facilities, one in Dhaka and the other in Chittagong.

Managing Director of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, Deputy Managing Director of Grameen Bank Dipal Chandra Barua, Managing Director of Community Hospital Dr Quazi Quamruzzaman, Managing Director of Japan-Bangladesh Hospital Dr Sardar Abdun Nayeem and Director of Architekton Khadem Ali were present at the signing ceremony.

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Under the agreement, TMC will also provide necessary training for the Bangladeshi doctors, nurses and technicians at the hospitals in Japan.

It will also provide the technical know-how to establish and run the hospitals at the lowest rationally possible cost and ensure best medical services at the hospitals.

Dr Torao, who is also the member of house of representative of Japanese Parliament-Diet, told newsmen after signing the MoU that establishment of the hospitals will be a milestone in the history of Bangladesh-Japan longstanding friendship.

Prof Yunus said this is a most significant event in the history of Japanese investment in Bangladesh. "We are very exited as it will have a big impact on Bangladesh's health sector," he added.

Japan, a country of 12.50 crore people, is ranked as the number one in the list of international evaluation of insurance medical system while the United States as number 15 and England as ninth.

The doctor and population ratio in Japan at present is 1:500 with 9,187 hospitals, all of them are having over 200 beds. The TMC, the biggest hospital group in Japan, is operating 250 hospitals, nurse stations and clinics.

Off them, 57 are above 200-bed hospitals. As many as 18,000 doctors, nurses, technicians and employees have been working in the hospitals and clinics.

Besides, the Group, as part of expanding global health service, has taken initiative to establish hospitals in more than 100 countries across the world including Middle East, South Asia and Europe.

With the establishment of the 75 million dollar hospital, the total Japanese investment in Bangladesh will be 175 million US dollar since the independence so far.