Chattogram Bureau :
At the end of 2020, 8 new beds were added in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) department of Chittagong Medical College (CMC) Hospital. Through this, the total number of beds in the department has been increased to 20, said the hospital authorities.
Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury Nawfel, State Minister for Education and Chairman of the Hospital Management Committee, inaugurated the new 8-bed on November 21, 2020. Earlier, there were 12 ICU beds in the department for dying patients. With the addition of 8 new beds, the total number of beds stands at 20. According to ICU department sources, there are 29 ventilators (artificial respirators) in the department as opposed to 20 ICU beds. However, half of these ventilators have long been useless (according to doctors, non-functioning). These ventilators have been known to be useless for at least 5/6 months.
And since the ventilator is useless, it is not possible to provide ventilation support in at least 9 ICU beds. As a result, these 9 ICU beds are not available. There is also the crisis of trained staff.
