Dhaka, May 11 -- Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has told authorities to immediately open six children's hospitals across Bangladesh, built years ago but left unused, his office has said.

At an emergency meeting with the health ministry on Sunday, he instructed authorities to operationalise the facilities without delay and submit a full progress report by Jun 2.

The hospitals are located in Rajshahi, Khulna, Rangpur, Barishal, Cumilla and Sylhet.

A Facebook post from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said relevant officials, including ministry secretaries, were directed to inspect the facilities and take swift steps to bring them into operation.

Built at a cost of Tk 3.2 billion, the six modern hospital buildings have remained unused fo...