The government has taken steps to increase the number of beds in public hospitals and open temporary healthcare facilities in Dhaka to accommodate the rising number of Covid-19 patients.

As part of the move, Dhaka North City Corporation kitchen market in Mohakhali will be turned into a makeshift hospital dedicated for novel coronavirus patients.

Speaking to The Daily Star yesterday, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said, "The makeshift hospital will be able to accommodate around 1,200 patients at a time. It will have 51 ICU beds."

He said they have instructed the city's three specialised public hospitals -- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology -- to soon open units dedicated for coronavirus patients with 100 beds each.

"We are trying our best to improve hospital facilities. We have already given instructions in this regard."

Zahid said it would take 10-15 days to make the DNCC market functional as a healthcare facility.

The minister said his ministry would hold a meeting with the owners of private medical college hospitals today to discuss increasing the number of beds at their facilities too.

"We would request them to raise the number of beds though they are already crowded with patients."

The minister also asked people to take patients to district hospitals having facilities for Covid-19 patients so that pressure on Dhaka hospitals is reduced.

"There are some medical facilities in Cumilla, Gazipur, Manikganj and some other districts around Dhaka. Patients should be admitted to those hospitals and they should not to come to Dhaka."

He also said containment of the virus is the most important factor. "Everyone has to follow the health guidelines. Otherwise, the situation would go out of control. Besides, people have to understand that the resources are limited."

Contacted, Dr Farid Hossain Miah, director (hospitals and clinics) at the Directorate General of Health Services, said they were expecting to add another 2,000 Covid-19 beds in Dhaka within around two weeks.

"We are also expecting to add about 100 ICU beds in the capital," he added.

Farid said apart from 51 ICU beds at the makeshift hospital at the DNCC market, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, Kurmitola General Hospital and Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital would have 10 ICU beds each.

Asked about additional workforce, he said if needed, they would mobilise resources from districts around Dhaka.

According to DGHS statistics, there are 2,461 Covid-19 general beds and 108 ICU beds in government hospitals in Dhaka now.

Yesterday, 45 people died from the virus in the country in 24 hours till 8:00am and the daily infection rate rose to 18.94 percent.

On Monday, the daily infection rate was 18.38 percent and the number of fatality was 45.

The infection rate started going up from the second week of March after staying below 5 percent for about two months.