Hospitals are one of the most important establishments for any area to have for many different reasons. Not only are these one of the indicators of how developed an area is, for many, hospitals can be a luxury factor affecting decision once all major factors (schools, work, transportation) are taken into account when shifting house from one place to another as well. Now some areas may feature more hospitals than others due to many reasons including the availability of space, proper infrastructure, proximity to other important establishments, and so on. Agargaon and Sher-E-Bangla Nagar, in that sense, check all the boxes. And due to this reason, Agargaon and Sher-E-Bangla Nagar boast the highest concentration of tertiary level government hospitals in Dhaka. With that being said, we will focus on the hospitals in Agargaon and Sher-E-Bangla Nagar and will highlight the key factors about them.
Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College & Hospital
Established in 1963, the hospital was formerly known as Ayub Central Hospital. After independence, it was renamed to Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital. But it was not until 2005 when the Bangladeshi government finally decided to turn this hospital into a medical college, making it the 14th government medical college of Bangladesh. Although originally known as Begum Khaleda Zia Medical College, the name was changed to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College in 2009.
Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital is one of the renowned hospitals ranking third among the other government medical colleges. It received multiple awards for being the best “Best Medical College” by NDF (National Debate Federation).
It has a total of 850-beds with modern medical facilities including 35 departments. The dentistry department is separate and works as an independent unit with its own classrooms, library, lavatory, laboratories, and so on. It has been offering BDS degrees since 2011. The intensive care unit has 20 beds, all equipped with modern facilities. Due to this, it gets referrals from other institutions and people come to this medical college hospital for better healthcare facilities from across the country.
National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases
This is another major hospital in Agargaon and Sher-E-Bangla Nagar. People from all over Bangladesh come here for their cardio-related issues. The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases was established in 1978 to provide all kinds of cardio-related care to patients.
This institute offers post-graduate courses including MD Cardiology, M.S. (Cardiovascular & Thoracic) Surgery, and Diploma in Cardiology. With 15 different departments, the hospital provides services from cardiac surgery to blood transfusion. The institution also conducts training programs for physicians, nurses, and technicians involved in providing cardiac care to patients. They also provide training to non-government doctors for serving the community better.
National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology
Just like the previous two, this one is also fully financed by the government. It is among the most prominent hospitals in Agargaon and Sher-E-Bangla Nagar when it comes to kidney disease. Established in 2001, the National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology was a milestone in the history of Nephrology, Urology, and Transplantation in this country.
The institute also provides training and post-graduation courses like MD (Nephrology), and MS (Urology). Being the only institute for Nephrology & Urology in Bangladesh, the emphasis was given to research programs.
The hospital has both outdoor and indoor facilities for the nephrology and urology departments. And thousands of kidney patients come to this institute every month for their specialized healthcare facilities.
National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital
The journey started through a health complex in 1981 as a part of Suhrawardy Hospital. Later a stand-alone institute was constructed in 1994 with a lot of objectives including providing training for professionals, post-graduate courses, and conducting research in psychology and psychiatry.
The hospital offers both indoor and outdoor services including adult psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, drug addiction and rehabilitation, and many more. However, all these services are available from 8.00 am to 2.30 pm (except government holidays). The hospital also features specialized clinics that stay open on a specific day of the week. For example, the Pain clinic stays open only on Saturday and the Autism clinic on Monday, and so on.
National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation
Previously known as Rehabilitation Institute and Hospital for the Disabled, this undergraduate & postgraduate institute is among the busiest hospitals in Agargaon and Sher-E-Bangla Nagar. Established in 1972 by the Government of Bangladesh as the Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital, the name was changed to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation in 2002.
This orthopedic hospital deals with a massive load of patients daily due to regularly occurring accidents in Bangladesh. And to cope with the load, the hospital has gone through many developments over the years. Recently the hospital announced that they will soon upgrade to 1000 beds.
National Institute of Neurosciences & Hospital (NINS)
Starting its run in 2012, the National Institute of Neurosciences & Hospital is a tertiary care institution funded fully by the government of Bangladesh. Of all the prominent hospitals in Agargaon and Sher-E-Bangle Nagar, this tertiary-care institution is probably the most well equipped and hi-tech settlement.
The hospital features 450 beds with 6 modern operation theaters. It also houses a 16-bed ICU for critical patients, a 12-bed HDU for the ones who need more extensive care, a six-bed Recovery Unit, and 12-bed post-operative rooms. This ten-storey building is equipped with the most modern radiology and imaging department in Bangladesh.
Just like other tertiary institutions on the list, this institution also conducts training programs for professionals and offers post-graduation courses including MD, MS, or FCPS under the curriculum of BSMMU & BCPS.
National Eye Institute
This is another one of the tertiary level institutes which was established in 1978. Since then it has undergone many development projects and is now considered one of the best eye-care institutes in Bangladesh.
In total there are 250 beds for housing patients who need close supervision. That being said, approximately 2000 patients get their treatment from here daily. And about 4 surgeries take place each day to cope with a huge load of patients. The hospital provides an array of services from treating refractive errors to lacrimal surgery.
The institution also offers professional degrees such as Diploma in ophthalmology, MCPS, FCPS, and MS to professionals and provides training on pediatric ophthalmology, and medical retina.
Dhaka Children’s Hospital
Just after the liberation war in 1971, Dhaka Children’s Hospital was established in 1972. At that time it was the only children’s hospital in the country. It started its run with a 50 indoor bed setting in a private property in Dhanmondi. Since then, a lot has changed and it is now a state-run tertiary level hospital for children with 650 beds.
The hospital has three major divisions – Paediatric Medicine, Paediatric Surgery, and the Anaesthesia and Diagnostic Division. From Cardiology to Biochemistry there are a whole host of available medical services under these divisions. The hospital’s OPD (Out-Patient Department) and the Emergency unit are well equipped to handle 900 to 1000 pediatric patients daily.
The academic side of this institute was established in 1983 offering post-graduate courses such as FCPS, MD, MS, and DCH. This institute also offers a Diploma in Paediatric Nursing and Bsc in Health Technology.
You may have probably noticed a recurring theme about all the hospitals in Agargaon and She-E-Bangla Nagar. Not only are they equipped with hospital facilities, they are also medical institutions that offer professional degrees and training opportunities to professionals. This is one of the highlights of these institutions as well. But what made these establishments so important is not just their medical facilities but also their contribution to the field of medical research.
