DMCH, NITOR deal with overflow of patients during Eid

A record number of patients from across the country were admitted at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) in Dhaka during the Eid-ul-fitr holidays.

Hospital sources said most of the senior doctors at different public and private hospitals were on leave during the holidays which was the main reason behind the high patient turnout at DMCH and NITOR.

DMCH

The emergency department of DMCH was found overcrowded with patients during a visit from 11:00pm Sunday to 1:00am yesterday.

There was a scarcity of wheeled stretchers in the emergency department due to huge pressure and many patients had to walk or be carried by their relatives.

When contacted, a staff member at emergency ticket counter said around 1480 patients came to the hospital on Sunday, of whom 400 were admitted. Usually 1200 to 1350 patients come to the hospital in a day and around 300 take admission, he said.

Though it is a normal phenomenon of additional pressure of patients during Eid, but this year it is more than usual, he added.

Rickshaw-puller Mujibor Rahman, 40, a resident of Shanir Akhra, was receiving treatment at the hospital along with his wife and two daughters due to a human hauler accident at Ray Saheb Bazar near National Hospital while going to Sadarghat around 7:00 pm on Sunday.

 “We received primary treatment at the National Hospital but the doctor on duty suggested that we go to DMCH as senior doctors were not available at the hospital during the Eid holidays,” he said.

Indoor treatment facility of the hospital, however, was not up to the mark due to scarcity of doctors and nurses. Mostly non-Muslim doctors and nurses were performing their duties at the hospital.

Director of DMCH, Brig Gen AKM Nasir Uddin, said they had taken preparations early to handle the situation during Eid, which is why they did not face any major problem.

He said many medicines, oxygen cylinders and other necessary equipment were kept in stock as part of their preparation, and pathology department and blood bank remained open round the clock during Eid.

“We kept an 11-member medical team and two additional operation theatres on standby to ensure treatment following any major accident,” he said.

NITOR

NITOR also saw an increase in patients in the last couple of days.

Many patients were found near the emergency operation theatre, lying on the floor, as there was no empty bed.

To manage the patients, doctors posponed operations of many patients during the holidays, as the number of serious patients who needed immediate surgery was also substantial.

A total of 176 patients from all over the country, many of them in critical conditions, received treatment at the hospital on the first day of Eid, while around 192 were treated at the emergency department on Sunday.

Normally, 150 to 160 patients receive treatment from the emergency department every day.

Emon Hossain, 12, a resident of Muradnagar in Comilla, said he was admitted at NITOR last Saturday morning after an auto-rickshaw accident.

Doctors did not go for operation till Monday due to the operation theatre being overscheduled, and told him they would carry it out a few days later after the senior doctors joined, said Emon.

Abdul Gani Mollah, director of NITOR, said they were maintaining the hospital mostly with non-Muslim doctors and nurses as most of the Muslim doctors and nurses were on leave during Eid.

He said they had a plan to provide treatment to emergency patients during the holidays and tried their best to accommodate everyone.

“Some senior doctors and I visited the emergency department to monitor the services as we tried to ensure best treatment within our capacity,” he said.