Hospitals ready for COVID-19 patients

The government has kept six dedicated hospitals in Dhaka and one each at divisional headquarters to treat COVID-19 patients, according to sources in the health ministry. The bed capacity of the hospitals has been increased from 1,050 to 1,550 to facilitate treatment, the sources said. After using all the capacity of government hospitals, steps would be taken to treat the patients in private hospitals, said Sirajul Islam, additional secretary of the health ministry.

He also said the dedicated six hospitals in Dhaka are Kuwait Moitri Hospital, Kurmitola Hospital, Sheikh Rasel Gastrololiver Hospital, Lalkuthi Matri O Shishu Kallayan Kendra, Mohanagar General Hospital, and Railway Hospital. The health ministry official said they have already communicated with the owners of private hospitals and many of them have offered proposals to treat COVID-19 patients.  According to him, there are about 100 ICU beds and 700 ventilator beds in government hospitals across the country.

At present, around 34 ICU beds are ready to be used at the Bangladesh-Kuwait Moitree Hospital and Sheikh Rasel Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital.  Besides, 11 more ICU beds are ready at three private hospitals.

Health ministry sources said committees have been formed from the national level to the union level to coordinate efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus and treat patients.  The death toll from the coronavirus has touched 12 in Bangladesh as three more deaths were confirmed yesterday (Monday). Besides, 123 people have so far been infected, among them 35 in the last 24 hours.

DGHS director Habibur Rahman said the government is ready to shift ICU and ventilator facilities wherever it is necessary. He also said the government is working to increase the number of beds having ICU and ventilator facilities for COVID-19 patients. AM Shamim, managing director of LabAid Hospital, suggested that the government should make ready a zone-based hospital only for COVID-19 patients. Besides, he advised that test kits should be provided to each hospital to carry out rapid tests and increase the number of ICU beds.