Bangladesh is ushering in a new era in the rehabilitation of patients with paralysis and long-term neurological diseases. A limited pilot project has begun at the country’s first robotic rehabilitation center set up at the Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) Superspecialized Hospital in Shahbagh in the capital from Thursday (July 10). This center, established with technical assistance from China, has been built to the standards of the developed world, where state-of-the-art technology-based and specific rehabilitation services will be available.
According to relevant sources, the Chinese government has donated robotic equipment worth about Tk 20 crore for this project. In terms of technology, this center will be one of the most modern robotic rehabilitation centers in South Asia, which will become a breakthrough milestone in the medical sector of Bangladesh.
This center has a total of 62 robots, out of which 22 are based on artificial intelligence (AI). These robots can provide physiotherapy, neurological rehabilitation and long-term medical services very precisely according to the patient’s condition.
BMU authorities said that in preparation for the launch of the center, 27 doctors and physiotherapists have already been trained under the leadership of a 7-member Chinese biomedical engineer expert team. The center will be fully launched once the trained manpower gains experience and skills and the necessary activities are successfully completed.
This robotic center will benefit patients who are undergoing complex rehabilitation processes, including stroke, paralysis, neurological impairment, long-term pain, nerve injury, frozen shoulder, accidental complications or weakness of body parts.
In particular, those who were injured in the mass uprising of students and the public in July and are still suffering from long-term problems will be provided free robotic medical services at this center.
The center will not be limited to special purposes only. In the light of the planned policy, services will be opened to general patients in a phased manner. At the same time, efforts will be made to keep the cost of treatment within the financial capacity of the patients.
If this center is launched, Bangladesh will enter a new era in modern technology-based rehabilitation treatment. This will not only be a technological advancement for the domestic medical system, but will also become a ray of hope in the lives of people suffering from paralysis and long-term illnesses.
