Treat patients or face action
Health minister warns pvt hospitals against turning away patients; 5 more test positive for Covid-19
Five more people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the country's total to 61, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said yesterday.
He also said private hospitals and clinics that have been refusing to treat patients would face action.
"We're noticing some private hospitals not giving adequate services while some clinics and chambers, to some extent, are kept shut. At this moment, your withdrawal is not logical. Stand by the people and serve them," he told a press briefing via video conference.
"We are watching. We will not hesitate to take necessary measures."
The warning comes after medical personnel in the capital and elsewhere reportedly refused to treat people due to fears that they were Covid-19 patients. In some cases, the patients died without treatment while going from one hospital to the next.
Zahid Maleque said no new death was reported in the 24 hours before 8:00am yesterday.
Six people have died from the virus so far. Among the 61 positive cases, 26 recovered and went home, he said.
After the minister, Prof Abul Kalam Azad, DG of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), from his office said 22 Covid-19 patients were in hospitals and seven were at home.
Nine laboratories in the capital and five outside have started polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to detect coronavirus, the DG said.
"Within the first week of April, all the divisions will have at least one PCR laboratory. By the end of the month, 28 laboratories will be set up all over the country to run the tests," Prof Azad said.
The five new cases were detected after testing 513 individuals from 42 districts and officials took "proper measures for contact tracing", he said.
DGHS has 71,000 test kits, he said, adding that there were 4.28 lakh PPEs and 3.6 lakh of those were sent to different facilities.
JOURNO TESTS POSITIVE
A journalist of Independent TV has tested positive for coronavirus.
Forty-seven other employees of the station, who came in contact with the man, were asked to self-quarantine at home, said a statement from the channel.
The journalist self-isolated on March 26 after he started showing symptoms, the release added.