TİKA Continues Operations in Health Sector in Bangladesh

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) initiated a project regarding the establishment of a daily chemotherapy unit and an acute inpatient ward with a capacity of 66 beds to be opened within the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical Faculty and Research Hospital in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.   

The establishment of a daily chemotherapy unit and patient ward within the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical Faculty and Research Hospital which is affiliated to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was undertaken through the groundbreaking ceremony with the participation of Devrim Öztürk, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Bangladesh, Dr. Rahman Nurdun, the Head of Department for East and South Asia, Pacific and Latin America (DOGAL) of TİKA and Ahmet Refik Çetinkaya, TİKA Program Coordinator based in Dhaka.

Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical Faculty and Research Hospital is located in Dhaka, a city in which approximately 19 million people reside. As a result of the capacity of this hospital being increased through the years, it has become one of the busiest hospitals in Dhaka. 

Medical education and training in the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical Faculty and Research Hospital has been ongoing since 2006 and the number of students in the faculty has reached around 900 as of 2017. Through the relevant investments, the aim is to increase the current 1100 bed capacity to 2200 beds. 

The TİKA project encompasses the renovation of the hospital rooms, the provision of various medical equipment and materials which will be used in a chemotherapy unit with 6 beds as well as a patient ward with 60 beds thus bringing the hospital in line with international standards. As a result of these investments which TİKA plans to undertake in the future, this initiative will also serve as a pilot project in Bangladesh.  

Moreover, it encompasses the training of medical staff who will serve in patient wards and chemotherapy units. Chief Physician, Prof. Uttam Kumar Barua and Deputy Chief Physician, Dr. Mamun Morshed as well as other administrators within the hospital participated in the groundbreaking ceremony and expressed their pleasure for the project. They also stated their affection and compassion towards the Turkish people. 

The Chief Physician mentioned that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh attaches great importance on the hospital modernized by TİKA.  In addition, she regards the hospital as a “neighborhood hospital” and visits it several times according to Barau’s statement. 
Deputy Chief Physician Morshed voiced that TİKA contributes to developing the cooperation between Turkey and Bangladesh and thanked Turkey for its support to Bangladesh since the establishment of independence. 

Ambassador Öztürk emphasized the perfect amity between the two countries and added that the Turkish state and people has always been in solidarity with Bangladesh since its independence. 

The head of DOGAL, Dr. Nurdun stated that he places a special emphasis on TİKA projects in Bangladesh and underlined their importance for the cooperation of the two countries. He went on to add that our connection to Bangladesh is unshakeable due to the support by the people of Bangladesh to the Turkish nation during the National War of Independence. He concluded by stating his pleasure for the accomplishment of many TİKA projects in Bangladesh, such as the establishment of 10 village clinics and the donation of a number of ambulances within the healthcare sector.