The stomach is washed with water in a painful process until the poison is out. The patient is laid on a metal trolley with hands tied behind the back. Then a thin rubber tube, through which water passes, is pushed through the mouth until it reaches the stomach.

"The patient begins to throw up when the stomach takes in at least one litre water. We keep the water supply going to ensure more vomiting and that way, the poison comes out," explained Manirul Islam, senior staff nurse in charge of the emergency unit. "I do not know whether other countries follow the same process but here have been doing it for many years," he added.

Islam said that water crisis had hampered the process in the past but now a water tank has been set up inside the room to ensure enough water flow for stomach washing. At least four persons are needed to perform a wash, Islam informed. On an average, about 20 cases of poison come to the DMCH everyday said staff of the only stomach wash room of the hospital which has just one trolley.

When asked the washroom staff said that they are able to manage with one room as usually patients arrive one at a time. "There are exceptions like when an entire family is poisoned by domestic helps or miscreants. If that happens, then one patient waits while the other is being treated," said Islam.

Patients arriving for stomach wash usually suffer from food poisoning or are attempted-suicide cases. The most at risk are those who are drugged by criminals on board public transports or on the streets. They are often in a critical condition by the time they are brought for stomach wash.

Islam cited the example of an unconscious and unidentified young man who was brought by the police last Monday. "I saw some filthy watery substance coming out of his stomach during the wash. It looked like drain water," said Islam.

Drunkards are also brought in, mostly at night, after they had consumed too much locally made liquor.

Sometimes the relatives of patients take them away without completing the stomach wash.

"I could not bear to see her yelling and struggling to get out of the trolley. So I asked them to stop it," said Sayeedur Rahman, father of an 18-year-old who had swallowed insecticide to commit suicide.

The DMCH staff said that the relatives should understand that a patient has to experience the pain if he is to survive.

"We ask them to give an undertaking on paper if they want to take the patient back before completing the stomach wash," said Islam who added that most survive after a stomach wash if they are brought in early.

"The chances of dying increases if a patient arrives late as the receptor organs get blocked with poison and do not respond to medication," he said.