700 admitted to two hospitals in 4 days

Diarrhoea patients lie in a congested atmosphere on the floor of Kushtia General Hospital that struggles to cope with the situation amid a sudden outbreak of the disease in the area allegedly due to drinking of contaminated water. PHOTO: STAR

Diarrhoea situation has taken a serious turn in Kushtia in the last four days since Saturday.

Around 700 people, mostly women and children, infected with the disease were admitted to the Kushtia General Hospital, also temporary campus of Kushtia Medical College Hospital (KMCH), till yesterday afternoon.

Dr. Azizunnahar, Assistant Director of the hospital, told this correspondent that on an average 80 patients were taking admission at the hospital a day, while the rest being sent back home after treatment.

The authorities are struggling to cope with the record influx of diarrhoea patients as they have no scope to accommodate all the patients at the 250-bed hospital, she said.

Meanwhile, a platoon of Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB) members has been deployed to help the civil administration. 

Holidays of all medical officers and staff of the hospital have also been cancelled.

Doctors said, consumption of contaminated water might be the reason behind the sudden outbreak of the disease.

The patients were coming from different areas of the district and municipality, according to the hospital sources.

Doctors at the hospital said, the disease usually breaks out in the country twice every year---during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon period.