Staff Reporter :
Another critically ill Covid-19 patient has died, who was evacuated during a fire at Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s (DMCH) Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for Covid-19 patients. The deceased identified as Momena Begum, 45, was admitted to Bed-2 in DMCH’s Covid-19 ICU unit. She was evacuated when fire broke out.
She breathed her last around 4pm on Thursday, said Dr Ariful Islam Nobin, resident surgeon of the old burn (now Corona unit) unit, adding that Momena was brought to the ICU of the burn unit after the fire incident. She was undergoing treatment there.
Meanwhile, the doctors said that six more patient have been admitted to ICU while three other to HDU. One patient’s relative sifted their patient to private hospital.
Momena’s relative Md Parvez claimed that she was well when she was in DMCH’s Covid-19 ICU unit undergoing treatment. But her health condition was deteriorating during movement for evacuating from there in fire incident.
Later, she was shifted to the DMCH burn and surgery unit and was on life support, he added.
Earlier, the fire broke out in DMCH’s ICU unit around 8:10am on Wednesday. Later, it was doused, but the whole unit was destroyed with fire burn.
There were 14 patients in 14 bedded ICU rooms and all of them were in critical condition. Later, three patients died when they were being evacuated that time. Now of this incident, death toll raises four.
On the other hand, two separate probe committees – one of Fire Service and Civil Defence and another of hospital authority — have visited the ICU of Corona Unit in the new building of Dhaka Medical. They are also collecting evidence and questioning of different people.
Fire service’s probe committee head Deputy Director Nur Hasan told reporters after visited the spot that the investigation was underway. They are now inspecting the scene. They have also collected evidence from the spot and of different people. Hopefully they will be able to submit the investigation report soon.
In response to a question, he said that there was nothing to say about the initial idea of how the fire originated. They are also investigating whether there was a fire safety system in the hospital.
Nothing can be said right now. All will be highlighted in their investigation reports, he added.
DMCH’s Director Brigadier General Nazmul Haque told the reporter that the probe committee from their site started their investigation. We have planned to reinstall the ICU very soon and their people work on it.
