The government is set to launch kidney dialysis services for patients at every district and upazila level in the country as soon as possible. To this end, training of 5,000 nurses and medical technologists on dialysis, running three months, has begun. Alongside this, a decision has been made to create 2,500 new posts in each of the two categories — nurses and medical technologists.
Nursing and Midwifery Directorate General Dil Afroza said training has already begun for 120 people. Of these, 90 are being trained at the National Kidney Foundation, 20 in Pabna and 10 in Rajshahi on dialysis services. The training will be expanded widely to several locations, including Sylhet, within a short time. She said more nurses are being recruited to ensure dialysis services for kidney patients across the country.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain said a 50-bed kidney dialysis centre will be set up at every medical college hospital in the country, and a 10-bed dialysis centre at every district headquarters hospital.
Under the 2026-27 fiscal year, applications have been invited from nurses working at government medical college hospitals, specialised hospitals and district headquarters hospitals to take part in the training. Applicants must have completed at least two years of government service, and be no older than 40.
These decisions were made at a meeting of the health services division chaired by Prime Minister Tareque Rahman on August 12. The meeting was organised by the coordination cell responsible for implementing MPs’ commitments and planned programmes.
Following the meeting’s decisions, the record of notes was sent from the Prime Minister’s Office to the health services division secretary on August 24 for necessary action. Earlier, on July 20, Prime Minister Tareque Rahman visited the health ministry. At a meeting held that day, a decision was made to establish a 10-bed kidney dialysis centre in every district of the country.
According to the Kidney Awareness Monitoring and Prevention Society (KAMPS), about 38 million people in the country suffer from some form of kidney disease. Of these, about 40,000 patients become dependent on dialysis each year. However, dialysis services remain largely concentrated in Dhaka and major cities, leaving many patients in remote areas without access to the service.
According to the Bangladesh Renal Association, there are about 146 dialysis centres in the country, of which 65 to 70 percent are in Dhaka. As a result, the service remains inadequate at the grassroots level.
According to documents, a decision has been made to prepare a work plan to establish dialysis facilities at the upazila level three years after district-level dialysis centres become fully operational.
Per the decisions of the August 12 meeting, training will be arranged for a total of 5,000 trainees, including 2,500 nurses. Each batch will have 50 to 100 participants. The training will be conducted through the National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology (NIKDU) and the National Kidney Foundation.
Per the meeting’s decision, probationary doctors will be posted to their own upazilas to address the shortage of doctors at the grassroots level. If a suitable doctor cannot be found for a particular upazila, one will be appointed from a neighbouring upazila or district.
It has also been decided to ensure automatic postings of professors, associate professors, assistant professors, lecturers and consultants by September 15. A project to upgrade all upazila health complexes to 151 beds will be presented to ECNEC within a month. A decision has also been made to establish a 600-bed general hospital in Mirpur in place of a medical college.