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The number of beds for cardiac treatment is only one per 1.5 lakh people in country, according to statistics of the Bangladesh Cardiac Society
   There are only 1,000 beds for cardiac patients both at private and public facilities in the country where about 75 per cent people are at risk of the fatal disease, the statistics show.
   The country has 400 cardiologists and 75 cardiac surgeons for cardiac treatment as more than 11.25 crore people of the country's total population are at risk of the critical disease.
   The secretary general of Bangladesh Cardiac Society, Professor Khawaja Nasiruddin Mahmood, stressed the need for setting up cardiology departments equipped with both surgery and medicine facilities at all public medical colleges and district level public hospitals to provide adequate treatment to the country's large number of cardiac patients.
   He said a huge pressure of cardiac patients on a handful of the Dhaka based specialized hospitals can be reduced if cardiology departments with medicine and surgical facilities are opened at the country's periphery.
   Referring to severe traffic congestion in the capital city, he urged the government for setting up specialized hospitals at all entry points in the capital city to provide emergency treatment to the cardiac patients saying that a cardiac patient usually gets few minutes to receive treatment.
   Delay in treatment because of limited facilities for cardiac patients in the public sector, multiplies their ailments resulting in physical and mental disabilities, and even deaths, Prof Khawaja Nasiruddin Mahmood told the news agency.
   Referring to increasing capacity building of the country's new generation cardiologists, he put emphasis on inviting specialist physicians from abroad to impart training to the local cardiologists as well as the nurses.
   Prof Mahmood said that modern and sophisticated training should be imparted to pediatric cardiologists and cardiac
   surgeons aiming at meeting the growing demand for Bangladeshi physicians both at home and abroad.
   He said Bangladesh can export skilled physicians abroad as there is a huge demand for efficient physicians in foreign countries. He said exchange of training programmes between institutions both at home and abroad can play an effective role to produce skilled and efficient physicians.
   On the growing demand for physicians in the country, he said Bangladesh needs more physicians as they have to work under tremendous pressure due to lack of adequate number of physicians in the country.
   Those who can afford taking their patients aboard do not wait for treatment, but the poor are bound to depend on the government-run hospitals having treatment facilities for child cardiac patients.
   Limited cardiac care facilities in public hospitals mostly add to the sufferings of the poor patients those cannot go to private hospitals, some parents were found waiting at the outpatient department of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Dhaka told the news agency.
   'Affluent people are able to take their patients to expensive private clinics and hospitals, even abroad, for cardiac treatment, but the poor have to depend on the low- cost cardiac care providers found only at NICVD,' one of the parents said.

Four students of the Khulna Medical College were injured as supporters of a medical officer of the medical college hospital attacked them when they were holding demonstration against the assault on the college principal allegedly by the medical officer Monday afternoon.
   The students also boycotted the classes following the incident and called for an indefinite class boycott from today, said the students and intern physicians, adding that the intern physicians will also observe two hours’ work stoppage everyday for indefinite period from today.
   The injured students who were given treatment at KMCH are Newaz Mostofa Choudhury, Dipok Saha, Chayan Biswas and Adnan.
   According to the hospital sources, a KMCH medical officer of the blood transmission department, Dr Tojammel Hossain Joardar, who is also the Khulna vice-president of Swadhinata Chikitshak Parishad, provided a fake medical certificate of the KMCH to a patient in exchange of money sitting at a diagnostic centre near the KMCH.
   When the college principal, Professor KP Sarkar, came to know the matter Monday morning, he informed the KMCH superintendent of the matter and Dr Tojammel was called to his (superintendent) chamber at around 12:30pm on Monday, the sources said.
   As Tojammel was asked about the fake medical report, he became furious and manhandled the principal, they said.
   As the news spread, the college students went on the rampage at the hospital, demanding punishment of Dr Tojammel and his immediate removal, witnesses said.
   The students claimed that the supporters of Dr Tojammel attacked them and four of the students — Newaz, Dipok, Chayan and Adnan — were injured.
   No class was held in any of the departments of Khulna Medical College following the incident and the students declared to boycott the classes for an indefinite period demanding punishment to and removal of Dr Tojammel, they said, adding that the Intern Chikitshak Parishad has also declared to observe two hours’ work stoppage from today to press for their demands.
   The principal, Dr KP Sarkar, talking to New Age, alleged that he was manhandled as he informed the KMCH superintendent of the illegal activities of Dr Tojammel. Dr Tojammel Hossain Joardar, however, told New Age that the principal was not manhandled by him and claimed that the certificate given by him was not fake. He, on the other hand, alleged that the principal was about to attack him.
   The KMCH superintendent, Dr QH Asgar, said they will sit with both sides to find out a solution.

Green activists held a sit-in at Shahbagh in Dhaka on Monday, demanding restriction on the growth of private cars to end nagging traffic congestion in the capital.
   The government must check the growth of private cars and encourage launch of more buses on the roads to ease city’s traffic congestion, they said addressing the sit-in organised by Save Environment Movement.
   The government has banned operation of a number of unfit and old buses in the last few days, which has only worsened the plight of the passengers, the green activists said.
   Cashing in on the ban, the buses in operation on the roads have started charging extra fair, causing immense sufferings to the city people, they noted.
   The government is virtually encouraging use of private cars by restricting operation of old buses although cars are mainly responsible for the traffic jam, they said.
   Traffic congestion in the capital city will never come to an end until the government checks the unbridled growth of private cars, the speakers observed.
   Stressing the need for launching more buses, the speakers mentioned that a private carries only 3 or 4 people while a bus can transport 30-40 passengers.
   Cars often remain parked at roadsides causing severe traffic snarl in different areas of the city, they said adding that the Operation Clean Street has failed to stop traffic congestion in the city.
   Tushar Rahman of Citizen Rights Movement, Mahbubul Alam, program manager of WBB Trust and Abu Naser Khan, chairman of the Save Environment Movement, among others, spoke at the programme.

The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution on Monday in a drive in the capital realised 3.18 lakh in fines and jailed two traders for three months for cheating customers.
   The court realised Tk 1 lakh from Century Chemical Co, located at Sowarighat in Lalbagh area, for selling substandard skin cream.
   The mobile court operators said the company did not take permission from the BSTI for making and selling the product.
   The court also jailed two meat traders Jasim Uddin and Mohammad Shaheen at Karwan Bazar for three months for selling lamb meat as mutton and realised Tk 50,000 from each of them in fines.
   The court also visited B-Baria Dhadhi Bhandar and found the shop owner was selling unapproved curd.
   The court realised Tk 50,000 for selling curd without having BSTI certificate.
   The court also fined a fish trader Mohammad Yousuf of Karwan Bazar for selling fish treated with formalin.
   The court realised Tk 50,000 in fine from the fish trader.
   It also fined Nabi Hossain, Mohammad Hasan and Nurul Islam for cheating customers in weighing and realised Tk 18,000 from them.

The students of Barisal Government Veterinary Institute continued demonstrations on Monday, demanding reinstatement of their one-year internship and scrapping of the change in the curriculum.
   The agitating students with shoes in their hands brought out a procession on the campus protesting at the reduction in internship period to six months from one year.
   They also locked the administrative and academic buildings of the institute during the agitation to press for their demands.
   The students later held a rally on the campus calling on the authorities concerned to immediately meet their demands.
   The speakers said reduction in the internship tenure to six months and change in the curriculum would seriously hamper education of the old batch students of the institute under under Patuakhali Science and Technology University.
   MA Matin, campus dean of the institute told New Age that said a team of teachers led by him went to the PSTU in the afternoon to discuss the demand of the students.
   The aggrieved students also warned that the visiting team would not be allowed to enter the campus if they fail to fulfil their demands.
   A contingent of police has been deployed in and around the campus to prevent any untoward incident, sources at the institute said.

Two separate mobile courts of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority on Monday realised Tk 21,000 in fines from 17 vehicles and sent four buses for dumping.
   The court also filed cases against the unfit buses and drivers without driving licences.
   The BRTA officials said they would continue the drive to make the city roads free from traffic congestion.
   Vehicles without route permit, proper documents and drivers without driving licences will not be allowed on the roads, said the mobile court sources.
   ‘We are seizing faulty and age-old vehicles and these will not be allowed on the roads further,’ said a BRTA official. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Sunday seized 75 vehicles and 117 rickshaws.

The Islamic University in Kushtia will open two more departments from the 2009-10 academic session.
   ‘Admission to the new departments will begin from the current session’, the vice-chancellor, Professor M Alauddin, said on Monday.
   The two departments are statistics under applied science and technology faculty and finance and banking under business administration faculty.
   The University Grants Commission has recently approved opening of the two new departments, sources at university registrar office said.
   A total of 125 students, including 50 in the statistics department and 75 in the finance and banking department will be enrolled this year, the sources added.

The Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology will celebrate its 6th founding anniversary today with various programmes.
   The vice-chancellor, Professor Fazlul Haque, will inaugurate the celebration programme by hoisting national flag while Rajshahi mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton will be present as chief guest.
   The programmes taken to mark the day include, colourful procession, discussion, prayer session and iftar party.
   The vice-chancellor called upon all to make the celebration programme a success, says a RUET press release.

Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at a few places over all the six divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at places till 6:00pm today.
   Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, Met Office said.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 7:16pm and rises on Wednesday at 6:40am.
   Country’s highest temperature 34.8 degree Celsius was recorded on Monday at Sylhet and lowest 24.2 degrees at Satkhira.