Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Aug 4, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. MA Muhit has announced that the long-awaited Health Management Institute in Savar will soon be launched to enhance the administrative and management skills of health officials at the upazila and district levels.

Speaking as the chief guest at a programme marking the publication of research findings under the 2025–26 revenue budget at the National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM) auditorium in Mohakhali today, the state minister also directed NIPSOM to begin providing management training to field-level health administrators until the institute becomes fully operational.

Muhit said the government has placed its highest priority on strengthening primary healthcare services and ensuring quality medical care reaches people at the grassroots. 

He stressed that deploying doctors alone would not be enough unless those entrusted with administrative responsibilities receive professional management training.

"The government will implement both infrastructure development and capacity-building initiatives on a priority basis to ensure efficient healthcare delivery," he said.

Announcing a major expansion plan for rural healthcare, the state minister said all 30-bed and 50-bed Upazila Health Complexes across the country would be upgraded into 101-bed facilities, describing the upazila health complex as the cornerstone of Bangladesh's healthcare system.

Praising the objectivity of NIPSOM's research, Dr. Muhit called for greater use of field-level health data to formulate localized healthcare plans at the upazila level, rather than relying solely on national-level analyses.

He also urged NIPSOM to encourage undergraduate students at public medical colleges to engage in research by introducing a competitive mentoring programme, where talented students would receive three to six months of research guidance to develop future public health researchers.

The programme was chaired by NIPSOM Director Professor Dr. Nasrin Sultana and attended by former Director (Disease Control) of the Directorate General of Health Services Professor Dr. Benazir Ahmed, DAB President Professor Dr. Harun Al Rashid, Secretary General Dr. Zahirul Islam Shakil, and other senior officials from the health sector.