Hospital struggles to cope with patients

Patients lie on the floor of the diarrhoea ward at Pabna Medical College Hospital because of sudden influx of patients there after Eid. PHOTO: STAR

Pabna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) is struggling to cope with diarrhoea patients as 192 people with the disease were admitted to the hospital during the last six days since the Eid-ul-Fitr.

Of them, 23 patients were admitted on the Eid day (July 29), 39 were admitted the next day, 45 on Thursday, 37 on Friday, 28 on Saturday, and 20 others yesterday.

Visiting PMCH yesterday morning, this correspondent found over 50 patients staying in the 16-bed diarrhoea ward of the hospital.

“Usually five to ten diarrhoea patients are admitted to the PMCH daily but the number has risen several times during the last few days. Most of the patients are middle-aged and elderly people. Many of them are staying on the floor due to the lack of beds in the ward," said Mina Begum, staff nurse of the diarrhoea ward of PMCH.

"The change of food style after fasting during the Ramadan may affect some people with diarrhoea. The situation is likely to improve within a few days. The doctors here are giving proper treatment to the patients," said Dr Monwarul Aziz, assistant director of the hospital.

Several patients alleged that they have to buy IV (intravenous) saline from market as it is not supplied from the hospital.

"We could not supply more than one or two packets of IV saline for each patient. If anybody needs more saline they have to buy it from market," Dr Aziz said.