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Wednesday | September 23, 2026 | Dhaka

‘No new clinics near govt hospitals’

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:01 AM, 23 September 2026  Updated: 9:38 PM, 22 September 2026

No new clinics will be approved in front of government hospitals and that the practice will be stopped completely, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain has said.

“Diagnostic centres had been approved “like mushrooms” during the previous government’s tenure. After the current government took office, he said, it decided that no new clinics would be approved in front of government hospitals,” the minister made the remarks in response to a journalist’s question during a surprise inspection of Gazaria Upazila Health Complex in Munshiganj at around 10am on Tuesday.

He added that currently approved clinics and diagnostic centres would also be shut down if they failed to operate properly. The health minister said the government had taken various initiatives to improve the quality of healthcare services.

As part of the initiatives, work will begin next October to upgrade Gazaria Upazila Health Complex from 50 beds to 151 beds, he said.

Within the next two years, arrangements will also be made to provide dialysis to 10 patients at a time at the health complex, he added.

Sakhawat Hossain further said a modern pathology laboratory would be established at the facility within the same period, along with separate physiotherapy centres for men and women.

The minister said improving healthcare facilities at the upazila level would help reduce pressure on larger hospitals in district and divisional cities. Better-equipped local health facilities would also allow patients to receive essential treatment closer to their homes, he added.

He stressed the need for government health facilities to ensure proper use of medical equipment and improve the quality of services provided to patients.

Sakhawat Hossain also said the government would continue monitoring healthcare institutions to ensure that planned facilities and services were properly implemented. He urged officials to remain attentive to patients’ needs and maintain discipline at the health complex.

The minister said the planned expansion of Gazaria Upazila Health Complex would create additional opportunities for patients in the area to receive specialised services without having to travel long distances.

Munshiganj-3 MP Kamruzzaman Ratan accompanied the minister during the inspection.

Gazaria Upazila Executive Officer Ummey Hafsa Nadia, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Sharmin Ahmed Tithi, Resident Medical Officer Dr Nusrat Farzana Khan, and other officials and employees of the health complex were also present.