Govt plans corporate-style management for Super Specialised Hospital

More than three and a half years after its inauguration, the Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) Super Specialised Hospital has yet to become fully operational.

The government is now planning to overhaul the hospital's management structure by bringing it under the Companies Act.

A bill to that effect is expected to be placed before parliament soon.

Infographic: TBS

Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad, BMU's pro-vice chancellor (Administration), told The Business Standard that the government plans to operate the hospital under the Companies Act because the existing university law does not provide sufficient flexibility to run the institution as intended.

"The current university law does not allow us to operate the hospital the way we want. That is why a decision has been made to bring it under the Companies Act. The proposal has already received approval from the cabinet and all relevant authorities. If parliament approves it, the hospital will be governed under the Companies Act rather than the university law," Azad said.

"If our proposal is approved, the Super Specialised Hospital will operate on a model similar to private hospitals such as Square, Apollo and Evercare. Our goal is to provide advanced healthcare services while keeping treatment costs significantly lower than those charged by private hospitals. We also plan to introduce liver transplantation and several other complex medical services from next month," he added.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday to announce the university's budget, BMU Treasurer Professor Dr Nahreen Akhtar said that parliament is currently considering a separate law to enable the Super Specialised Hospital to provide specialised services.

"A new policy framework is being approved, and the hospital will be operated under that framework in the future," she said.

Officials familiar with the matter said that under the existing BMU Act, physicians must be recruited on fixed government salary scales. Since the Super Specialised Hospital is intended to provide highly specialised treatment, it requires the flexibility to recruit specialists with more competitive salaries, which would be possible under the proposed legal framework.

They also noted that under the current university system, even the procurement of minor equipment requires lengthy administrative correspondence. The hospital cannot make purchases independently, as all procurement must receive university approval, often resulting in delays due to bureaucratic procedures.

Earlier, on 11 May, the university syndicate formed a seven-member committee to identify solutions to these operational challenges and help make the hospital fully functional.

The committee is chaired by Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration), with Professor Dr Saif Ullah Munshi, Director of the Super Specialised Hospital, serving as member secretary.

Other members include Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) Professor Dr Nazrul Islam, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research and Development) Professor Dr Mojibur Rahman Howlader, Treasurer Professor Dr Nahreen Akhtar, Registrar Professor Dr Mostafa Kamal, and Proctor Professor Dr Sheikh Farhad.

The committee's recommendations will form the basis of the proposed legislation to be placed before parliament.

BMU's Tk1,500 crore Super Specialised Hospital was inaugurated in September 2022 with the promise of providing world-class treatment for critically ill patients who would otherwise seek care abroad. 

The hospital features 11 international-standard modular operating theatres and houses five specialised centres: the Cardio and Cerebrovascular Centre, the Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplant Centre, the Mother and Child Health Care Centre, the Kidney Disease Centre, and the Accident and Emergency Centre.

It has a capacity of 750 beds, including 14 ultra-modern operating theatres, a 100-bed intensive care unit (ICU), a 100-bed emergency unit, six VVIP cabins, 22 VIP cabins and 25 deluxe cabins.