Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the nation must not allow recurrence of the “politics of arson” as she opened a major health facility to treat burn injured patients in the capital, recalling the spate of arson attacks in 2013, 2014 and 2015, reports BSS.
“We want peaceful atmosphere for our development. Despite many obstacles Bangladesh is going ahead,” she said on Wednesday while opening the 500-bed facility in the Chankhar Pool area.
The premier urged the people to stay alert to check recurrence of the politics of arson attack and simultaneously warned of quick and stern actions against perpetrators of such “heinous activities”.
“The government will do whatever is required against such acts,” she told the function to mark the inauguration of Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute.
The health ministry named the institute after her, acknowledging the premier’s efforts to develop the state of art facility, assumed to be the world’s largest burn care hospital having 50 intensive care units and 12 operation theatres alongside 500 beds.
The prime minister expressed her hope that with most modern equipment and technology, the institute would emerge as a centre of excellence for treatment, research and studies.
Doctors and officials familiar with the setting up of the facility said the institute would provide advanced treatment to burn patients while its physicians and nurses would also get trainings to enhance their professional skills.
The present government in 2016 took a Tk 5.22 billion project to develop the facility against the backdrop of a series of firebomb and grenade attacks across the country as part of a violent anti-government street campaign.
Transport passengers, drivers and helpers, pedestrians appeared to be the prime target of the clandestine attacks that killed some 400 people and burnt about 4,000 people while about 3,800 vehicles and several railway carriages were set on fire during that “opposition blockade”.
The premier recalled that apart from causing the casualties, the campaign destroyed most of the newly procured double-decker buses of the state-run BRTC fleet as well as trains.
“The movement of Khaleda Zia in 2013, 2014 and 2015 was meant for burning people alive,” the prime minister said.
Health Minister Muhammad Nasim presided over the function while mayor of South Dhaka Sayeed Khokan, state minister for health Jahid Malek, army chief General Aziz Ahmed and Engineering-in-Chief of Bangladesh Army Major General Siddiqur Rahman Sarkar spoke on the occasion.
Prominent burn wound specialist Dr Samanta Lal Sen, who previously ran the Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s burn unit, has been appointed as the institute’s national coordinator while he also spoke at the function.
Sheikh Hasina said her government at the time of the protracted arson attacks put in its all-out efforts to help the victims particularly referring to the role of doctors and nurses of DMCH burn unit in treating the helpless people.
The premier noted that many of the injured persons still required the treatment for their wounds and wondered what politics the perpetrators pursed by killing people while “we do politics for the welfare of the people”.
“People of Bangladesh have resisted them and we have curbed the militant and terrorist acts with the united efforts of the law enforcement and intelligence agencies . . . I don’t want to see the recurrence of those arson attacks,” she said.