Our History

Our History

The Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (BADAS) was founded in 1956 by National Professor Dr. M. Ibrahim to provide specialized diabetes care to the people of Bangladesh. What began as a small tin-shed clinic gradually evolved into the country’s largest healthcare network after the public sector, with around 80 healthcare and educational facilities nationwide. Its flagship institution, BIRDEM (Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders), was established in 1980 in Dhaka and now serves around 380,000 registered diabetic patients, running a 650-bed hospital, 14 postgraduate courses, and functioning as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Diabetes Research.

To build on this success, BADAS launched the Health Care Development Program (HCDP), with the vision of transforming its globally acclaimed “Ibrahim Model” of diabetes care into a comprehensive general healthcare network. As part of this mission, BIHS General Hospital was established on 1 October 2005 as a small-scale diabetes and medicine center, initially funded by the Government of Bangladesh, Dutch Government, and local banks. The Obstetrics & Gynecology and Ophthalmology departments were launched in 2009, and by 2012, BIHS had become a fully functioning multidisciplinary hospital.

Today, BIHS operates as a 250-bed teaching hospital (expandable to 500 beds). It has become a reference center for healthcare, education, and research in Bangladesh, carrying forward the vision of Dr. Ibrahim to provide integrated primary, secondary, and tertiary care at an affordable cost for the entire community.