Coronavirus: Patients with covid in Bangladesh cry for ICU.

Coronavirus: Patients with covid in Bangladesh cry for ICU.

Qadir Kallol

 Dhaka

April 1, 2021

Hospitals in Bangladesh are now full of ICU beds. Coronavirus infection is on the rise in Bangladesh. In the capital Dhaka, there are many complaints that many Kovid-19 patients are not able to be admitted even after visiting the hospital. Health Minister Zahid Malek said hospitals were already full due to the rapid rise in infections. Physicians and public health experts say the increasing pressure on hospitals has led to the collapse of coronavirus medical services.

In the last 24 hours, about 6,500 people have been diagnosed with the virus. 59 people died in one day. A young man could not get his father admitted even after visiting one government hospital after another in Dhaka. Their home is in Bogra. There, three days ago, her father was diagnosed with coronavirus infection and had difficulty breathing.
Then he brought his father to Dhaka in an ambulance with oxygen and went to the hospital for a bed.

The number of victims is increasing every day in Bangladesh. Unable to find a place in a government hospital, he admitted his father to a private hospital. He has had a different experience there too.

On condition of anonymity, the young man shared his experience of being admitted to a hospital in Dhaka with his father who was infected with Kovid-19.

"We have knocked about eight to ten hospitals in Dhaka. Everyone is saying that there are no vacancies. One of them has confirmed that there will be a seat in a private hospital. But after leaving, they are saying that there are no vacancies in the Yellow Zone or the designated general ward."

He added, "After being admitted to another private hospital, there was a different experience. They admitted him to the CCU without knowing the patient's condition. But he did not need the CCU. They said there is no ordinary seat. The patient has to be kept in the CCU. I took the patient to the hospital, "said the young man.

A housewife from the Malibagh area of Dhaka admitted her husband infected with coronavirus to Kurmitola Hospital a few days ago. He is being given high-flow oxygen in the general ward prescribed for Covid-19.

The housewife said on condition of anonymity that it was urgent to take her husband to the ICU in critical condition. But as the hospital has patients in 16 ICU beds, they have been asked to take the patient to another hospital.

They are not going to private hospitals due to a lack of money.

Meanwhile, the doctors of the hospitals are also struggling to cope with the pressure of the patients. Nadira Haque, a doctor at the Kuwait Bangladesh Maitri Government Hospital, a hospital in Dhaka, described the situation.

"Suddenly the patient float has increased in our hospital. At present, our beds are not empty. We have patients in 16 beds in the ICU. There is a lot of work pressure.

"Lots of patients are coming and many patients are calling from outside us for ICU beds, to whom we cannot provide beds. We also have a number of critical patients in our ward who are taking up to 15 liters of oxygen per minute. Many of them also need ICU support. But we can provide No, ”said Nadira Haque.

There are 104 ICU beds in 10 government hospitals in Dhaka for the treatment of Kovid-19. Of these, only four beds were empty in the last 24 hours.

Of the 36 ICU beds in the nine scheduled private hospitals, 48 ​​were vacant. Large sums of money have to be calculated for ICU beds in private hospitals.

Health department officials say the infection is growing rapidly in 33 districts. The rate of infection compared to the sample test is more than 40 percent of the patients in Dhaka.

Dr. Lelin Chowdhury, the head of a private hospital, said that many Kovid 19 patients are coming to Dhaka for treatment as medical and ICU management has not been improved in other hospitals except Medical College Hospitals outside Dhaka.

He fears that if measures are not taken now to deal with the situation, medical services may be disrupted.

"Patient pressure in hospitals has reached the full limit. If the issue is not addressed now, medical services will be on the verge of collapsing."

He thinks that after the first outbreak of coronavirus last year, various facilities in the medical system, including infrastructure, were slightly enhanced. But then the amount that needed to be increased did not happen.

Speaking at the inaugural function of additional 10 ICU beds at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Health Minister Zahid Malik said they have taken steps to increase the number of beds in Dhaka government hospitals to 2,500 ordinary beds and private hospitals to more than 1,000 beds.

At the same time, the statement of the health minister also hinted at horror.

"Corona has been on the rise for the past week, with leaps and bounds and mortality. If five thousand are identified every day, and a portion of them come to the hospital, it will not be possible to accommodate them. The hospitals are already almost full."

The minister said, "We all need to understand that by increasing the number of hospital beds, we will not be able to accommodate the patients. If we do not close the places of origin, there will be no profit. Because 2.5 crore people live in Dhaka. It won't happen. "

Emphasis is being placed on coronavirus prevention to reduce the pressure on hospitals. The government is also talking about various initiatives including 16-point directive, but experts are skeptical about its implementation.