Special Correspondent :
Medical facilities across the capital are struggling to cope with the recent surge in novel coronavirus infections, leaving the medical care system on the brink of collapse.
Hospitals are already reporting shortages of key equipment, including ventilators, ICU and general beds and oxygen, needed to take care of critically ill Covid patients.
Some city hospitals have already been forced to turn patients away, as their facilities have already been exhausted.
In the last one-week, more than 500 corona patients died and at the same time about 50,000 were infected with the virus.
Bangladesh registered the highest Covid-19 deaths on Thursday with 74 more people succumbing to coronavirus.
The country recorded the highest number of new Covid-19 cases (7,626) in a single day on Wednesday. However, the number dropped to 6,854 on Thursday. Bangladesh again registered over 7,000 Covid-19 cases on Friday as the surge of the deadly coronavirus continues in the country.
As many as 7,462 people tested positive in the last 24 hours till Friday morning, taking the total number of infections to 673,594.
The country also witnessed 63 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Friday afternoon, claiming the total number of Covid-19 fatalities in the country to 9,584.
“The Corona situation in the country takes dire turn. The number of deaths and infections are increasing by leaps and bounds. In this case, new records are being created every day,” said a Health Ministry official, adding “The hospitals across the city have been exhausted of their capacity due to an explosion in coronavirus cases.”
Patients and their relatives are suffering immensely due to lack of critical care facilities at the hospitals. Even they are running one hospital to another to manage a general or ICU bed. Some critical Covid-patients reportedly died in ambulances without getting treatment. Not only government
hospitals, but also private hospitals are struggling to treat corona patients due to dearth of necessary medical equipment and ICU beds.
According to the DGHS, there are 3,622 general beds in dedicated Covid hospitals (both government and private) in the capital. Of them, 3192 are occupied and 430 are now lying vacant.
On the other hand, there are 305 ICU beds in the city’s dedicated Covid hospitals. Of them, 288 are occupied and only 17 beds are vacant.
In the last 24 hours till Friday morning, a total of 412 patients were admitted in those hospitals while 313 were discharged.
“Covid-patients with breathing problem keep coming everyday for admission. There are far more patients for admission than the capacity of the hospital,” Dr Md Khalilur Rahman, Director of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital told The New Nation yesterday.
Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital has 200 beds (190 general and 10 ICUs) in its Covid Unit. “All the beds are now occupied due to surge in Covid patients,” Rahman added.
Dedicated Covid-19 hospitals like Kurmitola General Hospital and Kuwait-Bangladesh Friendship Hospital have already run out of ICU beds.
The designated Covid-19 ICUs at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Mugda Medical College Hospital have also been occupied, according to the DGHS update.
Even, no ICU bed lies vacant at the specialised government facilities, Rajarbagh Police Hospital and Sheikh Russel Gastroliver Hospital.
There are 267 ICU beds at private hospitals in the capital, of them 15 remained vacant on Friday.
“The Covid situation has worsened in the country leading to a sudden influx of patents. But there is no place in our hospital to accommodate a patient with coronavirus infection,” Ahmedul Kabir, Principal of Mugda Medical College and Hospital told The New Nation.
“In case of admission, we give priority to patients with breathing problem,” he added.
Health Minister said patients could not be treated in the hospital unless the infection was prevented, no matter how many beds or equipment were added. And in order to prevent infection, health rules must be followed.
Bangladesh enforced a seven-day nationwide lockdown on Monday to control the sudden surge in coronavirus cases.
