The capacity of the Mental Hospital, Pabna, is set to double from 500 to 1,000 beds as the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare plans to upgrade the 59 years old establishment situated at Hemayetpur to an international standard mental health institute.
It would develop mental treatment facilities and skilled manpower through introducing post-graduate courses in multiple subjects regarding mental health, revealed a project proposal of the health service division.
The division submitted the proposal with an estimated cost of Tk1,460.2521 crore to the Planning Commission and the Social Socio-Economic Infrastructure Division of the commission to arrange a meeting of the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) to assess the proposal.
The PEC meeting will raise questions about the estimated cost of the entire project said multiple sources of the ministry and planning commission.
The officials of the planning commission also will objection to the estimated costs for the construction of the buildings, purchase of vehicles, installation of lifts, electrical equipment, medical equipment, and furniture for the institution.
Officials said that the Directorate General of Health Services will implement the project titled "Conversion of Mental Hospital, Pabna - to International Standard Mental Health Institute and Hospital" by December 2027, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec).
The entire amount of the estimated cost to be spent from the government exchequer.
The sources said that the proposed project is listed in the list of new unapproved projects in the annual development program (ADP) of the current fiscal year with an estimated cost of Tk1,232.6435 crore.
The commission will seek to know the reason behind proposing the project with an additional cost of Tk227.61 crore or 18.47% higher than the initial cost.
A sum of Tk1,072.23 crore has been estimated for building construction in the project while Tk259.26 crore for electrical equipment.
The Planning Commission will suggest that these two sectors should be rationally reduced by claiming that the expenditure is too high.
Apart from that, the commission will also recommend forming a technical committee to estimate the expenditure in the electrical equipment sector and submit its report along with the project proposal.
