The ministry has proposed a Tk 11.55 billion project to reconstruct the decades-old infrastructure of DMC

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has proposed a Tk 11.55-billion development project to replace and rebuild the ageing and earthquake-vulnerable infrastructure of Dhaka Medical College, much of which dates back to the 1950s and is now deemed structurally unsafe.

According to officials of the Planning Commission (PC), the initiative aims to transform the institution into a modern centre of medical education by upgrading infrastructure, improving the quality and sustainability of medical teaching, and strengthening the overall academic environment.

Officials said the health ministry submitted the Development Project Proposal (DPP) for the “Replacement and Reconstruction of Unusable Structures of Dhaka Medical College” project to the PC last week. The government-funded project is scheduled for implementation by February 2030.

An analysis of the DPP shows that Tk 8.77 billion — around 76 percent of the total estimated cost — has been allocated for infrastructure development, particularly academic and residential facilities.

Nearly half of the total budget has been earmarked for academic infrastructure, including the construction of a 15-storey academic building with basements, lecture theatres and examination halls.

About one-fifth of the allocation has been proposed for student housing to address the acute accommodation shortage, while nearly one-quarter of the project cost has been set aside for residential facilities for faculty members.

The residential quarters component alone is expected to cost around Tk 3.0 billion, accounting for 25.96 percent of the total project expenditure.

The project also includes funding for electrical installations and substations, water supply systems, deep tubewells, sanitation facilities, fire safety measures, and environmental infrastructure such as waste management systems, sewage treatment plants and rainwater harvesting facilities.

According to the DPP, these investments are intended to ensure safety compliance, operational efficiency and long-term sustainability of the upgraded campus.

Established in 1946, Dhaka Medical College is the country’s oldest and premier medical institution. The campus currently comprises around 60 buildings of varying age and condition.

Although the attached hospital has a capacity of 2,600 beds, it reportedly accommodates between 3,500 and 4,000 admitted patients daily, placing enormous strain on existing facilities and infrastructure, the proposal noted.

The DPP further stated that several student dormitories built in the 1950s have become severely dilapidated. The fourth floor of Dr Fazle Rabbi Hall, a male students’ hostel constructed in 1955, has already been declared unsafe and abandoned by the Public Works Department, intensifying the accommodation crisis.

A senior health ministry official said the project is expected to significantly strengthen medical education, improve the learning environment, and modernise the campus with energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable infrastructure.