No vacant ICU bed in Rangpur division

With the massive surge of Covid-19 patients in the eight districts of Rangpur division, authorities of two major Covid treatment hospitals in Dinajpur and Rangpur have stopped taking patients with acute symptoms, as all ICU (Intensive Care Unit) beds remain occupied.

The authorities have already hung signs in front of these hospitals saying they have no empty ICU beds there.

Among the eight districts of Rangpur, only two hospitals have 26 ICU beds -- in Dinajpur and Rangpur. The other six districts do not have ICU support, according to respective health department officials in these districts.

The two hospitals are M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital in Dinajpur and 100-bed dedicated Covid Hospital in Rangpur.

Sixteen of the ICU beds are in Dinajpur and 10 are in Rangpur.

"We are being advised to take patients to other hospitals as there are no empty ICU beds here", said Azadul Islam, who came to Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital from Pirganj Upazila of Thakurgaon with a Covid-19 patient needing ICU support desperately.

"I don't know where to take him", he said.

There is a shortage of ICU beds in Bogura too, he said.

A staffer at the Covid-19 unit of M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital, seeking anonymity, said that at least 20 acute patient who needed ICU support, were redirected in last 10 days.

"There is no way left to admit any patient here", he said.

During a recent visit to the hospital in Dinajpur, The Daily Star correspondent also found that serious patients were being taken to Dhaka by ICU-supported ambulance.

Seeking anonymity, a doctor of Abdur Rahim Hospital said the existing 16 ICU beds is not enough to treat the enormous number of Covid-19 patients.

Besides Dinajpur, patients from other districts, including Thakurgaon, Panchagarh and Nilphamari, come to 100-bed Covid unit of the hospital if they needed ICU support.

In Rangpur, two more private hospitals, including Rangpur Community Medical College Hospital and Prime Medical College and Hospital, have ICU support.

According to the Director of Health (Rangpur), there are 39 ICU beds in Dinajpur and Rangpur. Of them, 26 have been allocated for the treatment of Covid patients.

Last year, the number of ICU beds was only 13.

Health officials in these districts said authorities have been struggling to treat the rising number of patients just because of the lack of ICU beds.

According to health directorate information in Rangpur, there are 12 designated hospitals in eight districts of the Rangpur division to provide treatment to Covid-19 patients.

The number of beds is around 700.

According to the available information, at least 400 Covid-19 patients remained admitted at these hospitals yesterday. At the same time, all ICU and HDU beds remained occupied.

So far, 537 people died in eight districts of Rangpur. Among them, the maximum of 193 were from Dinajpur.

On Saturday, at least 14 people died in Rangpur division.

Besides, 532 new cases were found in the eight districts in last 24 hours.

At least 715 new covid-19 cases were found in eight districts of Rangpur on Friday. The daily positivity rate is around 34.79 per cent. On the other hand, eight people died in the division on Friday.