Inauguration of Expanded Cardiac Emergency at BSMMU: Honorable Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. MD Shahinul Alam Emphasizes on Reducing Treatment Costs for Patients

To meet the growing demand of patients, an expanded cardiac emergency service with five beds has been inaugurated on the ground floor of D block at BSMMU. Currently, there are 8 beds in the university's cardiac emergency department, and with the addition of these 5 beds, the total number of beds in the cardiac emergency department has reached 13. All beds in BSMMU’s cardiac emergency are always occupied. The department informed that because BSMMU is located in the heart of the capital, patients from the city are more aware of heart diseases, and with the advanced facilities available at the university to handle emergency cardiac situations, the department always faces a significant patient load. Therefore, the opening of this expanded cardiac emergency unit was much needed for patients.
During the inaugural event, speeches were delivered by the Honorable Vice Chancellor of BSMMU, Professor Dr. MD Shahinul Alam, the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research & Development) Professor Dr. Mohammad Mujibur Rahman Howlader, Treasurer and Professor of Fetomaternal Medicine Dr. Nahreen Akhter, and Chairman of the Cardiology Department Professor Dr. Mohammad Shafi Uddin, among others.
In his speech, BSMMU’s Honorable Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Mohammad Shahinul Alam highlighted the necessity of improving the quality of emergency services in medical institutions across the country. He specifically emphasized heart diseases as a critical issue and thanked the Cardiology Department for initiating the expanded cardiac emergency service at BSMMU. He also mentioned that the cost of patient treatment needs to be reduced. For this, doctors also have a role to play. Many poor, lower-middle-class, and middle-class patients fall below the poverty line while seeking treatment. If doctors follow guidelines and prescribe medications and tests accordingly, treatment costs could be reduced. Guidelines should be developed that take into account the patient's financial situation to minimize medical expenses. Necessary medications and tests should be clearly indicated in the patient's prescription. Several surveys conducted by non-medical institutions have shown that most patients in Bangladesh are satisfied with the medical services provided by doctors, although some are not. To address this dissatisfaction, there is a need to improve doctors' communication skills, understand the patients' needs, spend more time with them, and strengthen the relationship between doctor and patient.
In his speech, the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research & Development) Professor Dr. Mohammad Mujibur Rahman Howlader mentioned the plan to establish a University Central Research Center to strengthen research activities at the university.
Chairman of the Cardiology Department, Professor Dr. Mohammad Shafi Uddin, in his speech, requested administrative support for the establishment of an internationally recognized cardiac center or institute at BSMMU.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by several faculty members, doctors, and resident students from the Cardiology Department, including Professor Dr. Mohammad Harisul Haque, Professor Dr. Manzur Mahmud, Professor Dr. S. M. Mostafa Zaman, Professor Dr. Iqbal Hasan, Professor Dr. Mokhlesur Rahman, Professor Dr. Mohammad Abu Selim, Associate Professor Dr. Mostashirul Haque, Dr. Mohammad Rasul Amin, Assistant Professor Dr. DMMA Faruq Osman, Dr. Nilufar Fatema, Dr. Mohammad Kibria Shamim, Dr. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal Jamali, Dr. Lohani Mohammad Tajul Islam, Dr. Khondokar Kamruzzaman, Dr. Anam Monwarul Kadir, Dr. Abdus Salam, and other staff members and students.

Edited by: Dr. Saiful Azam Ronju, Photos: Arif Khan, News: Prosunto Mazumder