For Covid-19 Patients Only: Govt readying 6 hospitals
As part of efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus infections, the government is converting six hospitals in and around the capital into facilities for treating COVID-19 patients.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has started appointing on deputation doctors, nurses, and other healthcare employees to the facilities. It is also procuring and sending necessary equipment to the hospitals, officials said.
The hospitals are: Bangladesh Railway Hospital at Kamalapur, Mahanagar General Hospital at Nayabazar, Mirpur Maternity, Kamrangirchar 31-bed Hospital, Aminbazar 20-bed Hospital, and Jinjira 20-bed Hospital.
Aminul Hasan, director (hospitals and clinics) at the DGHS yesterday said, "The situation in the country is normal. But we are preparing out of caution in case the situation becomes dire."
He also said the DGHS had asked all public hospitals in the country to prepare isolation beds so that there were 4,500 such beds available.
"We are preparing ourselves in advance so that it does not strain the healthcare system even if the situation turns bad. But there is no reason to panic now," he told The Daily Star.
The officials at the DGHS said many of these hospitals have shortages of doctors, nurses and other employees. These hospitals serve relatively fewer patients and that was why they were chosen.
Asked whether the healthcare personnel would be given necessary protective gear, like hazmat suits, masks, gloves, Aminul said they were assessing equipment requirements for treating patients and would ensure those were available.
The DGHS is working with the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) in this regard.
The finance ministry released Tk 50 crore for the DGHS' coronavirus response, according to a finance ministry letter to the DGHS on Tuesday.
Of the amount, the finance division set aside over Tk 45.51 crore for purchasing surgical equipment and treating infected people. The rest will be used in public awareness campaigns and for buying chemical re-agents, the letter said.
Bangladesh on March 8 confirmed three cases of coronavirus infections. Two of them had returned from Italy recently.
The novel coronavirus -- the seventh strain of the virus that was first detected in China's Wuhan city in December -- can remain in human body for up to 14 days without the infected showing any symptoms, according to the WHO.
RAILWAY HOSPITALS
The railway hospitals are under the railways ministry, not the health ministry.
Railways ministry Senior Secretary Mofazzel Hossain said they have permitted the health ministry to use the Bangladesh Railway Hospital at Kamalapur for treating COVID-19 patients.
If necessary, they would allow nine other railway hospitals for such use, he told The Daily Star yesterday.
"We held a meeting today [Wednesday] over the management of those hospitals where the decision was made," he said.
A DGHS official said if the number of COVID-19 patients increased, the 62-bed hospital at Kamalapur could be upgraded to a 100-bed one.
A railway official said most of the railway hospitals have very low number of patients and they could be moved to other hospitals in need be.
Shamsul Alam Md Imtiaz, chief medical officer (East) of Bangladesh Railway, said there were only eight patients at the Kamalapur Railway Hospital where 12 doctors are employed.
"It would not be difficult to move the patients to other hospitals if the government wanted to use it for coronavirus affected people," he said.
Meanwhile, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital today opens an outdoor department to identify potential infected persons.
Prof Uttam Kumar Barua, director of the hospital, said, "We are launching the department with three doctors and a separate ticket counter. Patients with fever, cough and breathing problems will be referred to this department.
"The doctors will note down patient's history and if they find anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, they would inform the IEDCR," he said.
The director also said they are planning to set up a 20-bed isolation unit at the hospital.