Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hussain laid the foundation stone of a new pharma-grade warehouse. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Aug 18, 2026 (BSS) - Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hussain today laid the foundation stone of a new pharma-grade warehouse aimed at further strengthening the country’s health product supply system.

He laid the foundation stone on the Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD) premises at Tejgaon here.

The new pharma-grade warehouse will be constructed through a partnership among the Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Global Fund.

The proposed warehouse – covering approximately 14,000 square feet and having a storage capacity of around 100,000 cubic feet -- will provide modern and standard infrastructure for safe, efficient and quality storage of essential medicines and health supplies. 

The warehouse will help address the existing infrastructure gap in the storage of essential medicines and health supplies. 

The facility will include modern electrical systems, HVAC and fire safety systems. It will be constructed in compliance with the required standards for pharmaceutical product storage, the Bangladesh National Building Code and relevant international standards.

Speaking as the chief guest at the stone-laying ceremony, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hussain underscored the importance of strengthening Bangladesh’s health infrastructure and establishing a reliable system for the storage and management of essential health supplies.

He said, “Construction of this modern pharma-grade warehouse is an important step towards strengthening Bangladesh’s health product supply system. By investing in quality and efficient storage infrastructure, we will ensure uninterrupted availability of essential medicines and health supplies for the people.”

He said the project is part of a broader initiative to strengthen infrastructure required for Bangladesh’s national health programmes. By improving storage capacity, operational efficiency, safety and compliance with standards, the new warehouse will contribute to effective management of essential health supplies and help make Bangladesh’s health product supply system more resilient.

Among others, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Professor Dr. Prabhat Chandra Biswas, Global Fund Senior Fund Portfolio Manager Qiu Kui and UNFPA Programme Manager Namira Bosnjak were present at the foundation stone-laying ceremony.