RMCH running out of beds, ICU
Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, that provides treatment to Covid-19 patients of Rajshahi district and beyond, has been running out of beds and high-flow oxygen facilities, hospital officials say.
The 1,200-bed hospital that has a central oxygen supply in all its 42 wards, dedicated 250 beds of six wards where high-flow oxygen can be ensured, they said.
But all the six coronavirus wards became full with Covid-19 positive and suspected patients in the last seven days till yesterday, as 30 new patients -- 18 of them from Chapainawabganj, 10 from Rajshahi and two from Natore districts -- were admitted.
Hospital director Brig Gen Shamim Yazdani said they were insisting district administrations in Rajshahi region to impose a lockdown in order to prevent spread of the infection.
"(Covid-19) cases have been increasing every day; the situation may turn worse and become unmanageable in coming days," he told The Daily Star.
He said they can prepare more wards of the hospital for treating Covid-19 patients, but it may not be possible to ensure high-flow oxygen to all wards.
The hospital authorities have stored around 450 oxygen cylinders for dealing with an emergency and are preparing to add another ward of 29 beds for coronavirus treatment.
The ICU of the hospital that has 15 beds. It also requires more beds and ventilators, as officials say at least 30 patients are kept in waiting for getting an ICU bed.
The hospital officials said they sought from the health department at least 30 doctors from upazila level hospitals to deal with the situation.
"We don't see any solution other than imposing strict lockdown to improve the situation," the hospital director said.
However, district administrations have been dragging their feet on imposing a lockdown, on plea of mango business in the region.
Rajshahi's deputy commissioner Abdul Jalil while talking to journalists yesterday said the district's committee on Covid-19 situation is likely to sit today for deciding on lockdown.
In the last 24 hours, at least seven persons -- five Covid-19 positive and two other suspects -- died in the hospital, raising the death toll in seven days to 50.
In eight districts of Rajshahi division, according to the health department data, some six persons died while 382 were detected with Covid-19 positive in the last 24 hours yesterday.
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