Government has decided to upgrade all existing 31-bed and 50-bed upazila health complexes to 101-bed facilities as part of its efforts to strengthen healthcare services at the grassroots level.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman at a weekly press briefing held at the Press Information Department (PID) conference room at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Dr Zahed said that only eight upazilas currently have 100-bed health complexes. To improve access to quality healthcare across the country, the government has undertaken a programme to upgrade all remaining 31-bed and 50-bed facilities to 101-bed hospitals.

He also announced an initiative to manufacture electric ambulances using local technology to ensure faster emergency healthcare services. The ambulances will be developed with technical support from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).

According to the adviser, a high-level meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on June 6 decided to launch the project initially in one selected upazila as a pilot programme before wider implementation.

Addressing the dengue situation, Dr Zahed said the government has formally launched the National Training Programme on Clinical Management of Dengue. The first phase of training was held on June 7 at Bangladesh Medical University with the participation of doctors from different regions. Similar workshops will be conducted in all divisions and districts across the country.

The adviser also highlighted several recent government initiatives in other sectors in the press briefing.