A report published in a national daily on Thursday reveals health experts saying that the second Covid-19 wave in the country, threatens to derail Bangladesh’s feeble economic recovery, deal a massive blow to poor and low-income groups and reduce fiscal space and constrain public expenditure. Still the government’s efforts to check virus transmission are inadequate in view of the ground reality. In fact, its efforts remain limited to distribution of masks and directives for following health safety guidelines.
Against this backdrop, the experts said the government has failed to strictly enforce the health safety rules, as a large section of the population is still reluctant to wear masks, though it is mandatory to use those in public places to fight against virus transmission. They recommended enforcing health safety rules strictly, increasing the number of daily tests, and ensuring that Covid patients are kept isolated to check virus transmission. The Health Directorate has not been successful in increasing the number of Covid tests and providing central oxygen supply, ICU support and necessary equipment to public hospitals across the country. If the corona infections continue to spread fast, the existing health network will not be able to handle the situation. Surveillance activities to detect and isolate new cases are not adequate.
The directorate at a meeting last week with high-ups of the Prime Minister’s Office reportedly placed a set of recommendations, including a lockdown across the country, restrictions on mass gatherings, and limiting business hours of markets and shopping malls, to keep virus transmission in check. It also suggested for keeping all educational institutions shut and not holding any public examination at this moment. On Thursday, it reported 3,587 new Covid cases — the highest in nearly nine months — and 34 more deaths.
Our unaccountable administration does not feel the necessity of learning from other countries how hard government along with volunteers working day and night to protect their people from the pandemic as national emergency.
It will be unkind if at the same time we do not acknowledge with gratitude those doctors, nurses and heath officials who are fighting a lonely battle under an indifferent government. It is a surprise how the government made vaccines available in haste. For this it deserve thanks. But on the whole the government appears to be busy with celebrations. The people are at large every day while some days are to be as occasions for celebration but dealing human tragedy of life and death must get priority.
It is painful to know that hospitals are full. A corona patient does not get emergency treatment unless he is lucky to be a VIP. The doctors and advisers have to make arrangement for emergency facilities to be available. The humanity must prevail with the efforts of our good and great ones.
