Bangladesh鈥檚 first Robotic Rehabilitation Centre, set up with the support of China, was inaugurated on Sunday at Bangladesh Medical University Super Specialised Hospital in the capital.
Health adviser Nurjahan Begum inaugurated the centre, while special assistant to the chief adviser Professor Md Sayedur Rahman and Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen were present at the ceremony.
Organisers said that the initiative was taken to support many July uprising victims, who continued to suffer due to injuries requiring long-term rehabilitation.
The centre will be operated by BMU鈥檚 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is equipped with 57 robots, including 22 with artificial intelligence.
The equipment, worth over Tk 30 crore, comes as a donation from China.
Adviser Nurjahan Begum said that the Chinese government had also agreed to establish a 1,000-bed hospital in northern Bangladesh.
The government had plans to expand robotic rehabilitation services to other districts in the future, she added.
Physicians have noted that thousands of people in Bangladesh become paralysed each year due to stroke, road accidents, spinal cord injuries and neurological disorders, requiring costly and long-term treatment.
The robotic rehabilitation centre would help provide quality care at a relatively low cost, they said.
A Chinese technical team has already trained 27 people in operating the robots and providing treatment.
Professor Sayedur Rahman urged BMU to establish itself as a centre of excellence for health research and knowledge generation.
鈥楤MU will become an institute for technology transfer,鈥� he said.
BMU acting vice-chancellor Professor Md Shahinul Alam said that the super specialised hospital was currently treating 90 patients with limited resources.
鈥榃e are building links with universities worldwide to achieve excellence and share knowledge,鈥� he added.
Yao Wen reiterated China鈥檚 commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Bangladesh.
The Chinese embassy in Dhaka had introduced a green channel for medical visas, making it easier for Bangladeshis to access international-standard healthcare in China, he mentioned.
鈥楳y estimation is that this year 4,000 to 5,000 Bangladeshis may travel to China for treatment,鈥� he said.
Head of the rehabilitation centre Dr Md Abdus Shakoor said that treatment would be provided free of cost to July uprising injured initially, and later expanded to general public for affordable fees.