Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has said a planned 1,000-bed Bangladesh–China Friendship Hospital in Nilphamari will emerge as a major medical hub, describing the project as a strategic investment aimed at transforming healthcare services in the country’s northern region.
Speaking after the approval of the large-scale healthcare project, Prof Yunus said the hospital would significantly improve access to advanced medical treatment outside Dhaka and reduce pressure on overstretched facilities in major cities.
“This hospital is not just an infrastructure project; it is a strategic investment in improving the country’s healthcare standards,” he said. “People in the northern region will be able to receive advanced medical services within their own area.”
The project, with an estimated cost of Tk 2,459.35 crore, was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) at a meeting chaired by Prof Yunus on Sunday, according to the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.
He said decentralising healthcare services was essential to easing the burden on hospitals in Rangpur and Dhaka, adding that the new hospital in Nilphamari would play a key role in achieving that goal. Once completed, the facility would not only serve patients from across Bangladesh but could also contribute to healthcare services in South Asia.
Prof Yunus said patients from neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Bhutan would have the opportunity to receive advanced treatment in Bangladesh, helping the country’s health sector emerge as an important regional hub.
The hospital project has been initiated by the Health Services Division under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and will be implemented by the Directorate General of Health Services. Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2026 and is expected to be completed by December 2029.
Of the total project cost, Tk 179.27 crore will be funded by the Bangladesh government, while the remaining amount will come from Chinese grant assistance. Officials said the initiative followed Prof Yunus’s request to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to China in March last year, after which Beijing agreed to support the establishment of an advanced hospital in Bangladesh.
Plans for the facility include a 10-storey main hospital building with a semi-basement, along with residential accommodation for doctors, nurses and staff. The complex will also feature dormitories, staff housing, a mosque, a kitchen, a waste management plant, service buildings, a gas manifold system, a helipad, an automated ambulance system and power generation facilities.
The hospital will be equipped with modern medical technology and offer both general and specialised services. Planned departments include nephrology, cardiology, oncology and neurology, alongside emergency care, intensive care units, coronary care units, high-dependency units, advanced diagnostic facilities and fully equipped operating theatres.
Officials said the project would also generate significant employment opportunities. Once operational, the hospital is expected to recruit about 893 doctors, 1,197 nurses and more than 1,400 other staff under the revenue sector, contributing to the local economy and strengthening healthcare capacity in the region.
The initiative is expected to reduce medical expenses and the need for long-distance travel for millions of people in northern Bangladesh, ensuring faster access to life-saving treatment and bringing long-term improvements to the country’s healthcare system.
Nilphamari district has a population of around 2.1 million, most of whom live in rural and semi-urban areas. According to World Health Organisation standards, the district requires between 4,500 and 6,000 hospital beds, but current facilities fall far short of that need.
At present, healthcare services largely depend on the 250-bed Nilphamari General Hospital and primary healthcare centres at the upazila level, which have limited capacity for intensive care, dialysis, cancer treatment and specialised emergency services. As a result, critically ill patients are often referred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital or Dhaka Medical College Hospital, increasing costs, delays and health risks.
Officials believe the new hospital will function as a sustainable tertiary-level healthcare institution, significantly reducing regional disparities and ensuring timely, high-quality and life-saving medical services for millions of people in northern Bangladesh.
