Specialty
Location
Department:- Dermatologist,
Central Skin & Social Hygiene Centre, widely known across Chattogram as the American Hospital, is the only government-run specialised hospital for skin diseases and sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the region. It is located in Agrabad, near Goshaildanga Kali Mandir, in Double Mooring Upazila, Chattogram.
The institution has an unusually international origin story. In the 1950s, a United Nations meeting held in Brussels decided to set up specialised skin and venereal disease hospitals in major South Asian port cities, and matching facilities were established simultaneously in Chattogram (then part of East Pakistan), Karachi, Mumbai, and Colombo. One source cites 1956 and credits the World Health Organization with the founding. The Chattogram facility was built beside a canal that once let sailors travel directly by boat from the seaport for treatment; the canal has since disappeared due to geographical changes over the decades.
In its early years, the hospital treated only sailors, and American doctors and nurses were directly involved in running it alongside local staff, which is how it earned its enduring local nickname, the American Hospital. Management passed to the Bangladesh government after independence in 1971, though the nickname has stuck to this day.
The main hospital building is now more than 70 years old, and as of a January 2026 report, the facility faces significant infrastructure and staffing challenges despite continuing to serve hundreds of patients daily at a nominal treatment cost of just 5 taka.
Official Phone (DGHS listing): 031722349
Official Mobile (DGHS listing): 01712236931
Alternate/older listed number (please verify): 031-502349
Email (Official, DGHS): cshtc@hospi.dghs.gov.bd
Address: Agrabad, near Goshaildanga Kali Mandir, Double Mooring, Chattogram
Ambulance Number: please verify with hospital reception
Organization Code (DGHS): 10000770
Official Website: no separate dedicated hospital website was found; the facility is listed under the DGHS Specialized Hospital directory (hospitaldghs.gov.bd)
Founded
Established in the 1950s (one source specifies 1956) as part of a coordinated United Nations initiative to build specialised skin and venereal disease hospitals in major South Asian port cities, alongside sister facilities in Karachi, Mumbai, and Colombo.
Speciality
The region's only government specialised centre for skin diseases and sexually transmitted infections, treating conditions such as scabies, psoriasis, fungal infections, syphilis, and gonorrhoea at heavily subsidised cost.
Number of Beds
Sources differ: one third-party listing describes it as roughly 20-bedded, while a January 2026 news report states the hospital currently has no inpatient admission facility at all despite being a specialised centre. Please verify current inpatient capacity directly with the hospital.
Departments
Reported units include Dermatology and Venereology, a Leprosy Unit, Allergy Clinic, STI/STD Screening Unit, and HIV/AIDS Counseling and Testing Unit, though as of early 2026 the hospital was operating with only one senior consultant and four medical officers covering this full patient load.
Popular Treatments
Skin conditions, sexually transmitted infections, leprosy, scabies, and allergy-related issues make up the bulk of cases, with the hospital serving as a low-cost referral point for lower-level clinics and health complexes across the region.
Doctor List
Public sources indicate the hospital's Acting Senior Consultant (as of January 2026) was Dr Mohammad Lutfur Rahman Rahat, a Dermatology and Venereology specialist. A complete, current doctor list was not compiled in this content - please verify directly with the hospital.
Outpatient consultation for skin and STI conditions at a nominal fee of 5 taka
Free government-supplied medicines, though supply is reported to fall short of patient demand
A laboratory, though with very limited capacity and only one lab technician as of early 2026
Emergency care for conditions such as severe drug reactions, acute allergic reactions, and STI-related complications
No current inpatient admission facility, according to a January 2026 report - please verify current status
HIV/AIDS counselling and testing services
OPD Timing
Specific OPD hours were not confirmed from available sources. Reports describe long queues forming before dawn, suggesting very high early-morning demand - please verify exact timing by calling or visiting the hospital directly.
The hospital is located in Agrabad, near Goshaildanga Kali Mandir, one of Chattogram's busiest commercial neighborhoods, and is accessible by local transport, CNG, and rickshaw from anywhere in the city.
Only government-run specialised skin and STI hospital in the Chattogram region
Extremely low treatment cost of just 5 taka per consultation
Free government-supplied medicines for eligible patients
Long-standing reputation and public trust, with patient numbers steadily rising in recent years
Serves as a low-cost alternative to reduce pressure on larger general hospitals
Name: Central Skin & Social Hygiene Centre (American Hospital)
Type: Government Specialised Health Centre
Founded: 1950s (UN-led initiative, one source cites 1956)
Location: Agrabad, Double Mooring, Chattogram
Organization Code: 10000770
Phone: 031722349 / 01712236931
Email: cshtc@hospi.dghs.gov.bd
Treatment Fee: 5 taka
Daily Patient Load (2026 report): 700-800 patients
Because in its early years, American doctors and nurses ran the facility alongside local staff, treating sailors who arrived by boat through a canal that once ran beside the hospital. The name outlasted the canal itself.
All four were set up simultaneously following a 1950s United Nations meeting in Brussels, which decided to build specialised skin and venereal disease hospitals in major South Asian port cities at the same time.
The government subsidises consultations and supplies free medicine, keeping the nominal fee at 5 taka. However, as of early 2026, medicine supply reportedly falls short of the daily patient load, so not everyone receives the full free-medicine benefit.
As of a January 2026 report, only one senior consultant and four medical officers were handling 700-800 patients daily between them, leaving roughly 30 to 60 seconds per patient during consultations.
According to the same 2026 report, the hospital currently has no inpatient admission facility, despite treating complex conditions like syphilis and gonorrhoea that sometimes require it. Please verify current status directly with the hospital.
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