Dhaka, Feb. 24 -- The construction of a 150-bed specialised burns unit at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) is progressing slowly, with treatment services unlikely to begin for at least another one and a half years, hospital officials have said.

Work on the six-storey facility, being built in the hospital's Goachi Bagan area under a China-aided project, has reached only 26 percent completion.

Once operational, the unit is expected to offer intensive care (ICU) and high-dependency unit (HDU) services for burn victims across the region.

At present, CMCH operates the only burns unit in the entire Chattogram Division, serving 11 districts. However, the existing 26-bed unit lacks ICU facilities, forcing critically injured patients ...