A modern and specialised burn and plastic surgery unit is being set up at Chattogram Medical College Hospital following a bilateral agreement between China and the health ministry.

The project work has begun with surveying and soil testing of the construction site, and is expected to be completed in 2025, said CMCH Director Brig Gen Shamim Ahsan.

China is funding 119 million yuan for the project, he said.

The agreement to construct the 150-bed burn and plastic surgery unit was signed in Dhaka on March 30. On March 11, a preliminary Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the CMCH authorities and the Chinese government at CMCH.

Chinese Embassy Secretary Shi Chen said, "If everything goes properly, the unit would be constructed within 22 months after signing of the agreement. We want to start the construction works soon."

Establishment of a modern burn unit in Chattogram is a crying need and a long cherished dream. This project will make that dream come true.

— Dr Samanta Lal Sen Coordinator of National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery

Although CMCH has a burn and plastic surgery unit, it is not adequately equipped with modern instruments and also has a crisis of beds.

The new specialised unit will have modern equipment for treating burn patients, alongside two modern operation theatres, 10 intensive care unit beds and 25 high dependency unit beds, the CMCH director said.

The Chinese government will build the infrastructure of the new unit and provide all modern equipment for treating burn patients, while the unit will be managed by CMCH authorities, he said.

"Establishment of a modern burn unit in Chattogram is a crying need and a long cherished dream. This project will make that dream come true," said Dr Samanta Lal Sen, coordinator of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.

Dr Mujibul Haque Khan, president of Bangladesh Medical Association's Chattogram chapter, said around 30 million people in this region will be benefitted once the modern burn and plastic surgery unit at CMCH is established.