Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hospital brings light of hope to patients

Asha Akhtar Akhi, a resident of Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur, burned her esophagus after drinking a toilet bowl cleaner a year ago. After rushing her from one hospital to another, Akhi’s family got her admitted to Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Memorial KPJ  Specialized Hospital in Gazipur.

At the hospital, physicians replaced her esophagus with her colon (colonic interposition). A  total of six patches were done on her stomach. The operation was successfully performed by the hospital’s Medical Director Dr Razeeb Hassan and Dr JMH Qausar Alam.

After a long period of treatment, Akhi is now living happily in her in-laws’ house.

“Our neighbours and relatives were very surprised when they saw Akhi doing well again, as none had thought she would be able to come  back. We wanted to get her admitted to other hospitals, but Dr Razeeb  of the specialised hospital assured us that this facility can  treat her well,” Akhi’s father Md Afaz Uddin told BSS.

When Akhi’s family was not able to bear her treatment cost, hospital authorities placed the matter before Prime Minister Sheikh  Hasina, who directed them to provide all essential financial support to the patient.

Akhi’s father was very grateful for this. “Our prime minister is very kind-hearted. Not only has she  established such a modern hospital in our area, but she has also decided to provide financial support for the poor. I pray by heart that she lives long,” he said.

His satisfaction went deeper. “Not only is the service good, the hospital’s doctors are very caring and loving too,” Afaz said.

Named after Bangabandhu’s wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, the 250-bed world class hospital has been serving people like Akhi since its inception in 2013, becoming something of a light of hope to the people living in Gazipur and adjoining areas.

“Every day, we receive a huge number of patients from all over the country, including Gazipur, Savar, Dhaka, Manikganj and Tangail,”  in-charge and Assistant Manager of Business Development Services Abul  Hasan told BSS.

Established at Kashimpur union under Kaliakair upazila in Gazipur by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust,  the state-of-the-art facility is being operated by Kumpulan Perubetan  Johor (KPJ) Healthcare Berhad, a renowned Malaysian private healthcare  organisation.

KPJ Healthcare Berhad currently has a chain of 26 hospitals within Malaysia, and is also present in Indonesia, Australia and Thailand.

The facility has become the first integrated management system (IMS) certified Hospital & Nursing College in Bangladesh, providing patients with more confidence in healthcare. Bureau Veritas, an international certification agency, awarded it for its contributions to Bangladesh’s health sector in  2017.

“Through using a modern software and database, we collect and save  every single information of a patient. As a result,  when the patient visits for the second time, we already have a record of all their medical data and report,” Abul Hasan said.

“A patient has to register for Tk 100 for the first visit, and can take outdoor service by paying another Tk 600 per visit. A general ward bed costs Tk 800 per night, while a VVIP cabin costs Tk 4,000. The hospital’s blood bank is able meet the patients’ blood requirements,” he added.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the chairperson of the trust under which the hospital was founded, making  this project close to her heart. Bangabandhu’s younger daughter  Sheikh Rehana is also one of the members of the trust,” Dr Razeeb told  BSS.

“She (the premier) herself receives our service, giving us a huge boost to serve patients attentively. She has directed us to make sure  that no patient leaves the hospital without treatment and to treat every  patient affectionately from entry to exit,” he said.

Since its journey, he said, the hospital has earned appreciation of all quarters for its improved healthcare services like medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatric, eye, ENT, neuro-medicine, cardiology. The  hospital occupies a special place in the country’s healthcare  sector through its international-standard nursing services, MRI,  CT scan and dialysis.

“The core values that we try to follow are safety, courtesy, integrity, professionalism and continuous development. We conduct all types of  critical operations and provide medical care for cancer and different  diseases of esophagus, stomach, colon and liver,” Dr Razeeb added.

Like other modern hospitals, he said, Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hospital also offers health screening packages, ranging from Tk 4,400 to Tk 8,000 and conducts  angiogram at a cost of Tk 10,000, which is the cheapest in the  country.

“We’re not only rendering services (to the patients), but also observing all health-related days like Cancer Day, Kidney Day, Health  Day and so on to create mass awareness about these diseases. Sometimes, we  organise free health camps where we provide basic health services,” Dr  Razeeb said.

He said the hospital has a fund for the severely impoverished from where over 1,500 patients have taken benefits so far. Money for the fund comes from the Bangabandhu Trust Fund.