Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) on Monday signed an agreement with the Islami Bank Foundation (IBF) to establish a hospital cum nursing institute in the unused land and buildings of Northern Area Reduction of Poverty Initiative (NARI) project in Karnaphuli Export Processing Zone (KEPZ).
Md. Zakir Hossain Chowdhury, executive director of BEPZA, and Engineer Mohammad Ali, executive director of IBF signed the agreement at BEPZA Executive Office in Dhaka.
IBF will initially set up a hospital in the unused land and buildings of KEPZ and it will later add a nursing institute.
The Executive Chairman of BEPZA Major General Abul Kalam Mohammad Ziaur Rahman, ndc, psc said in this regard that BEPZA has been conducting different activities as a part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) work along with contributing in the economic development of the country.
As a part of it, BEPZA signed an agreement with IBF to set up a hospital cum nursing institute in the unused land and buildings of NARI project of KEPZ.
IBF Chairman, Professor Qazi Shahidul Alam said they are playing an important role in providing health care services along with banking services.
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He hoped that mass people of this area would get better health care services by the establishment of the hospital in KEPZ. Employees of BEPZA and the EPZ workers will get health care services with special reduced price from this hospital.
The NARI project was undertaken to facilitate employment opportunities for vulnerable women, particularly from the Northern part of Bangladesh, especially from Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari, and Lalmonirhat districts in the EPZ enterprises.
Dormitory and training centers were constructed in Dhaka, Ishwardi, and Karnaphuli EPZ under this project where around 10,000 women received technical and life skill training.
After the completion of the project, the buildings of KEPZ remained unused where BEPZA leased out these buildings to establish a hospital cum nursing training institute.