The government on Tuesday approved a proposal in principle for setting up a 200-bed COVID Field Hospital at the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Convention Center under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
The approval was given at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Tuesday. Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the meeting.
Briefing reporters after the meeting virtually, the finance minister said that the government has already taken decision to set up a 1000-bed Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Convention Center at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).
In continuation of this, the CCEA meeting gave approval to the proposal for following the Direct Procurement Method (DPM) for implementing the public works for setting up of the 200-bed COVID Field Hospital in the first phase at the earliest possible time following the section 68(1) of the PPA 2006 and section 76(2) of the PPR, 2008.
The finance minister said the construction of the COVID Field Hospital would cost around Tk 10.22 crore adding that the proposed hospital would help to a large extent in rendering health services if the COVID-19 infection rate is increases again.
Answering to a question, he said that the government hopes that there would be no requirement for such field hospital in future. "But, the government is very much committed in this regard and it also hopes that the pandemic will come to an end."
Replying to another question, the finance minister said that the Bangladesh Bank and the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) would work accordingly regarding stock, cash and bonus dividend.
He said that both the entities would also work as per the concerned laws and also as per the commitment of the government in the national budget.
Prior to the CCEA meeting, the 31st meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) was held on Tuesday with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.
The meeting approved a proposal for printing, binding and supplying of some 1,88,75,735 textbooks of both Bangla and English (class 1, class 2) in 72 lots from some 25 lowest responsive bidders involving around Tk 33,95,75,775.
The finance minister said that the government hopes to continue free distribution of textbooks to students in the next year also.
