Bangladesh medical university budget: No money for its new specialised hospital

Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) yesterday approved a Tk 976 crore budget for the next fiscal year but made no allocation for its Super Specialised Hospital, raising fresh doubts over the prospect of making the facility fully operational nearly three years after its inauguration.

No specific funds were allocated for the 750-bed premier healthcare facility by the health ministry, university authorities said at a press conference yesterday.

The hospital, established under a Tk 1,868 crore project, was inaugurated in September 2022. However, no dedicated workforce has been appointed so far, and limited services are being provided using BMU's existing staff and budget.

Aimed at offering world-class healthcare and reducing the need for Bangladeshis to seek treatment abroad, the hospital has five specialised centres: the Cardio and Cerebrovascular Centre, the Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplant Centre, the Mother and Child Healthcare Centre, the Kidney Disease and Urology Centre, and the Accident and Emergency Centre.

BMU Vice Chancellor Prof Md Shahinul Alam said the hospital has generated high public expectations. "Although the hospital has been offering several services, it has yet to reach the expected level," he told reporters after the university syndicate approved the budget.

He said the university had sought Tk 60 crore from the health ministry, primarily for workforce recruitment, but the funds were not granted. "Currently, the hospital is being run using BMU's own budget."

Prof Shahinul added, "Once the workforce issue, which is pending with the ministry, is resolved and people are recruited, full-fledged operations could begin within a week."

ONLY FOUR PERCENT FOR RESEARCH

Of the Tk 976 crore revenue and development budget, only Tk 37.10 crore (around four percent) was allocated for research at the country's top medical university.

The overall budget is roughly Tk 175 crore (18 percent) higher than the revised budget of the outgoing fiscal year. However, it is Tk 78 crore less than the original allocation of Tk 1,054 crore for the 2024–25 fiscal year.

Of the total Tk 976 crore, the health ministry will provide Tk 568.22 crore, the University Grants Commission Tk 144.86 crore, and the university itself will contribute Tk 135 crore. The remaining Tk 127.87 crore deficit will likely also be covered by the university.

In the outgoing budget, Tk 35.60 crore had been allocated for research, but the revised figure stood at Tk 19.9 crore, according to budget documents.

BMU Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research and Development) Prof Md Mujibur Rahman Hawlader lamented the minimal four percent allocation for research this year.

He said research should ideally receive 10 to 15 percent of the budget to meet public expectations in the health sector.

Asked why around 45 percent of last year's research funds remained unused, VC Shahinul attributed it to frequent administrative changes over the past year, which stalled implementation.

He added that the 2025–26 budget prioritises several areas, including increased funds for patient medicine, a dedicated allocation for infection prevention, and more resources for the library and journals.

BMU Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) Prof Md Abul Kalam Azad and Treasurer Prof Nahreen Akhtar also spoke at the press conference.