Work for 308-bed modern hospital begins

The lenders and stakeholders of Imperial Hospital Project at a meeting here last week discussed various aspects of the project and expressed satisfaction over the progress made so far towards its implementation, sources said.

The hospital aims at delivering specialised treatment such as cardiology, nephrology, neonatology, neuro-surgery, orthopedics, oncology and internal medicine in Chittagong.

The project includes a full fledged outpatient department with 40 independent consulting clinics to take care of 1000 patients a day, full range of diagnostic facilities, a Nursing Training Institute with a capacity of enrolling 50 students a year, a dormitory for 250 nurses and a patient attendants' dormitory (hotel), sources said.

"With a view to providing international standard healthcare service, the Imperial Hospital Limited (IHL), a joint venture of Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex (CEITC) and Ispahani Group of Companies, is constructing the hospital on 7.30 acres of land at Pahartali in the port city," said IHL Chairman Prof Rabiul Husain.

Mirza Salman Ispahani of Ispahani Group is the managing director of IHL, is a public limited company in Chittagong with an authorised capital of Tk 100 crore.

The total cost of the project, including the Nurses Training Institute, is around Tk 350 crore. M/S Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz (KMD), a USA-based healthcare, architectural and engineering consultant engaged for the design and drawing work, is at the final stage of the schematic design of the hospital project.

Salman Ispahani said the project is expected to provide employment opportunity for around 1200 people of different categories. The hospital will provide treatment to 10 per cent of the patients free of cost.

He said senior consultant physicians as well as highly trained and experienced nurses and technical hands will be recruited from abroad to ensure healthcare services of international standard.

The Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO), besides its participation in the equity, will have responsibility of the lead arranger of all loan components both local and international.

Trinity Health International, the third largest healthcare group in the USA with staff strength of 47,000, will run the institution that would have its own independent uninterrupted power generation and supply, they said.