Dearth of ICU beds a big worry
With the sharp rise of Covid-19 cases, port city is facing a major crisis of available intensive care unit (ICU) beds. With around 60 such beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients in the city's public and private hospitals, people are running from one hospital to another, only to find out that almost all the beds are already occupied.
According to Chattogram Civil Surgeon Office, 518 Covid-19 cases were detected in 24 hours till yesterday, out of 2,535 samples tested, a positivity rate of over 10 percent. The rate was four to five percent just some 20 days ago. For example, on March 7, 63 cases were detected out of 1,607 samples tested.
In Chattogram's government hospitals, only 20 ICU beds are dedicated for Covid-19 patients, but demand for them has increased three-folds from average, said hospital sources.
Although some 40 ICU beds for Covid-19 patients are available at private hospitals, most cannot afford them.
Moreover, most of the beds in both public and private hospitals have been occupied already.
"We have 60 general beds and 10 ICU beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients, and all of them are occupied at present," said Rezaul Karim, managing director of Parkview Hospital. "Many patients are in queue for ICU, but we cannot accommodate them."
He said private hospitals charge Tk 10,000-15,000 for an ICU bed per day.
Rezaul said if the government gives subsidy for Covid-19 patients at ICUs of private hospitals, it would help save many lives, especially of the poor.
In government hospitals, Chattogram General Hospital (CGH) and Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) each have 10 ICU beds for Covid-19 patients.
Contacted, Dr Abdur Rob, senior consultant of medicine and head of Covid-19 ward at CGH, said all the hospital's ICU beds are occupied at present.
"More patients at the [Covid-19] ward are waiting for ICU beds but cannot avail them until they become vacant," he said.
CMCH Director Brig Gen SM Humayun Kabir said eight of the 10 beds at the hospital are occupied currently.
"At present, we do not admit patients of private hospitals to our ICU, as we preserve the beds for our own patients," he said. "Critical Covid-19 patients are shifted to the HDU [high dependency unit] at first, and then to ICU as per doctors' advice."
Meanwhile, experts urged the government to go for a rationing system, so that critical Covid-19 patients can get ICU facilities at government hospitals.
"Many Covid-19 patients with mild respiratory problems get frightened and rush from one hospital to another for ICU support. But they do not need it at that stage. Many such patients can be managed through high-flow nasal cannula, which is now available at CGH, CMCH and Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID) in Chattogram," said public health expert and head of BITID Laboratory Prof Dr Shakeel Ahmed. "Many patients need ICU, and so, a rationing system should be introduced at ICUs of government hospitals."
"Usually, once a patient receives an ICU bed, they cannot be removed until they are fully cured. But in rationing system, when condition of an ICU patient improves, they should be shifted to general bed for the time being, and the vacant bed can be occupied by another critical patient," said Prof Shakeel.
"In European countries, where Covid-19 patients overwhelmed ICU beds, the rationing system was introduced, and it is helping save lives of many patients," he said.
Contacted, Dr Hasan Shahriar Kabir, director (Chattogram division) of Directorate General of Health Services, said the government hospitals have already started rationing system in ICUs.
"The number of patients has increased so much that nothing will work, unless people do not become conscious and follow health rules to curb the infection rate," he said.
Comments