Bangladesh’s healthcare now meets global standards: NITOR Chief
NN ONLINE:
Director of National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) Prof. Dr. Md. Abul Kenan today said there is no longer any need to sell property and go abroad for knee or organ transplants as Bangladeshi doctors are now fully capable of performing all complex surgeries successfully.
“Considering every aspect of medical care and the overall environment, I believe NITOR’s healthcare system is excellent. Every day we perform hip and knee replacement surgeries, complex hand surgeries, paediatric bone and spinal surgeries,” he told BSS in an exclusive interview here.
Noting that many people still travel abroad like India, Singapore or Bangkok for such treatments, Prof. Kenan said, “I have no comment about those who can afford it. Many do not realize that these surgeries can be done successfully here in Bangladesh.” In this context, he said going abroad for treatment purpose; they have to sell their homes, cars, land, or even cattle. My appeal to them is this; there is no longer any need to go abroad for these surgeries.
Dr. Kenan added, “Doctors from the UK, USA, China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Bangkok have visited our institute. They all praised NITOR’s medical services.” In their words, “The quality of service here is highly satisfactory…The operation systems and the structure of the OTs are excellent.” They too believe there’s no need to travel abroad for treatment. He also said, “We brought in foreign doctors to treat the injured in the July movement. They told us, ‘You brought us here unnecessarily. There was no need to bring us to Dhaka—your medical services are of international standard.’”
When asked why road accidents are increasing, Dr. Kenan explained, “The infrastructure of many roads in Bangladesh is poor. Roads are often broken and not repaired properly. When vehicles drive in such conditions, it becomes difficult for drivers to control their speed—one major cause of accidents.”
Additionally, he said most vehicles lack proper fitness. Many are unfit for the road, and inspections are rarely carried out properly. As a result, unverified vehicles run freely on the roads, making them hard to control and leading to accidents.
He continued, “If all drivers are checked, it would be found that many have no valid driving license. Sometimes the license they carry belongs to someone else. Another issue is that all types of vehicles use the same roads—rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, private cars, buses, and trucks. When vehicles of varying speeds share the same road, it creates competition and chaos—another major cause of accidents.”
“Moreover, many highways have no dividers, leading to head-on collisions between vehicles that cause severe accidents, especially during Eid and other festivals when emergency patients increase,” he added.
On preventing road accidents, he stressed on commuters awareness and safe driving saying “Everyone should be cautious in movement, and drivers should drive carefully—avoid taking unnecessary risks. If these are followed, road accidents can be significantly reduced.”
Regarding hospital development, Dr. Kenan said, “I believe that in this era of globalization, we can elevate NITOR Hospital to an international level. If we succeed, the tendency to go abroad for orthopaedic treatment will greatly decrease. One year is not a long time to make visible changes, but since taking responsibility, we’ve achieved a lot.”
He explained, “Last year was spent treating those injured in the July movement. The interim government currently faces some limitations in implementing major plans. So, we’re working under time constraints and many challenges. Still, we’ve made progress—keeping the hospital fully operational, improving emergency services, and increasing patient flow and attendance. Compared to last year, both the total numbers of operation and emergency surgery have increased”.
About services at the hospital, he said, “Previously, only general outdoor treatment was provided. Now, patients receive care from specialist doctors. We have also placed emergency care under direct supervision of specialists—professors are now in charge. These changes have been officially implemented through notifications. Also, no surgery is performed without supervision from a specialist surgeon. The hospital environment has also become much cleaner and more pleasant.”
Asked about the public perception that only NITOR provides good orthopaedic care, Dr. Kenan clarified, “The idea that bone or orthopaedic treatment is available only at NITOR is completely wrong. All medical college hospitals in Bangladesh have orthopaedic and emergency departments. District hospitals also have these facilities, and many upazila hospitals now have orthopaedic doctors in emergency units. So it’s a misconception that all patients with fractures or accident injuries must come to NITOR.”
When asked whether the country needs more specialized hospitals for trauma patients, he replied, “NITOR is not only the largest hospital in Bangladesh but in all of Asia. However, this 1,000-bed hospital cannot accommodate all accident or trauma patients nationwide. We believe this service must be expanded. Each division should have at least one 500-bed trauma hospital. That would ensure faster treatment, reduce suffering, and ease pressure on NITOR”.
“Currently, we perform more than 200 surgeries daily, receive 250–300 emergency patients, and conduct 80–100 emergency surgeries per day. This workload is extremely challenging for doctors. Establishing trauma hospitals in every division would greatly benefit the public.”
On whether Bangladesh has enough orthopaedic specialists, he said, “There is indeed a shortage of specialists, but many young doctors now aspire to specialize. With modern technology and access to education, more orthopaedic specialists are being trained every year. If this trend continues, staffing trauma hospitals with adequate specialists will be possible.”
Asked about introducing AI or robotic treatment systems, Dr. Kenan replied, “It’s not true that we’re not considering robotic treatment. We haven’t yet reached the required technological level. If we get proper opportunity and resources, we will try to implement it in the future.” Finally, he urged the public, that there is no need for most patients with fractures to come to NITOR.
“Almost all types of fracture treatment can be done at medical college, district, or upazila hospitals. Only in very complicated cases—where proper equipment is unavailable—patients should come to NITOR,” he said.
He called upon all to seek treatment first at your nearest hospital. Especially where there is a medical college, most of the problems can be solved there, he concluded.