Tales of woes hang heavy at hospitals

When Mozammel Haque was taken to Mugda Medical College Hospital in an ambulance, it was evident that the Covid-19 patient needed oxygen support.

Gasping for air, Mozammel lay on his stomach, while his son, a university student, held an oxygen mask to his face.

The son begged the authorities for a bed, so that his father could get some life-saving treatment. The only thing available was a cold steel gurney. It was given to Mozammel.

A hospital employee wheeled the gurney into the emergency section and he was given oxygen support, for about 10 minutes. The hospital employees had no choice but to take the oxygen cylinder away and give it to a patient who just arrived.

Elsewhere in the hospital, where people are supposed to be inoculated, a sign was hung up to turn away people coming for the vaccine.

Abdus Sobhan and his wife came holding their vaccine cards, but had to leave without taking the shot even though yesterday was the date for their inoculation.

"They told us that the vaccine shots have yet to arrive here today. Since they do not know when the vaccine will arrive, we have not been told when to come back," Sobhan said.

At the queue of people coming to get tested for coronavirus, a man named Munir said at 8:30am that he arrived there for the test before daybreak and was still waiting for his turn.

"There are still 70 people ahead of me," he said.