Pneumonia patient dies at RMCH

A pneumonia patient who had been waiting for coronavirus test died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital yesterday.

The 46-year old patient died around 1am, Dr Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, in-charge of the ICU at RMCH, said.

"She had all major symptoms of coronavirus, but couldn't remember if she came in contact with a potential carrier," he said. "When we decided to send samples of her swabs to Dhaka, we found out we have no trained person to collect blood and swab samples of a coronavirus suspect."

RMCH NURSE SENT TO DHAKA

On Tuesday, RMCH authorities sent a nurse to Dhaka, days after she claimed to have come in contact with a relative of an Italy returnee while travelling to Rajshahi in a bus.

She later developed high fever, respiratory problems and pain, and went to the coronavirus unit at RMCH.

She was asked to be in home quarantine on March 21. She told this correspondent yesterday she contacted IEDCR several times, but they could not send anyone to collect samples. "None at RMCH dared to collect samples from me as they have no training," the nurse added.

She was admitted to the isolation unit of Kurmitola General Hospital in the capital on Tuesday night and she was not tested until yesterday.

"The hospital has no facility for testing," she told this correspondent. "Ït has been almost six days... I have been kept in isolation units at home and hospitals... I don't know what will happen to me? When will test me, after my death?"

Meanwhile, doctors and officials of the coronavirus unit at RMCH said more than one patient were visiting the unit daily, but they couldn't test any of them for lack of facility.