Dr. Zubaida Rahman, vice-chairperson of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation and spouse of the Prime Minister, has called for urgent expansion of intensive care and emergency health services to rural areas of Bangladesh. Speaking as the chief guest at the 2026 National Conference of the Bangladesh Society of Critical Care Medicine in Dhaka on Wednesday, she warned that 68–70 percent of the population lives in villages, yet 80–90 percent of life-saving ICU facilities are concentrated in the capital and major cities.

She urged the establishment of intensive care units in every district and general hospital to reduce the urban-rural healthcare gap. Dr. Rahman highlighted that Bangladesh currently has only 1.7 ICU beds and nine general hospital beds per 100,000 people, with 38 out of 64 districts lacking any ICU facilities. She also noted severe shortages of specialist doctors, trained nurses, and essential medical equipment, which lead to preventable deaths among newborns, pregnant women, elderly stroke patients, and accident victims in remote areas.

Emphasizing improved ambulance services, she said modern ambulances could help transfer critical patients quickly to district hospitals even if rural ICUs are unavailable.