Disparities in testing facilities, ICU beds, oxygen supply

We are once again suffering the deleterious outcome of concentrating the bulk of health service facilities in Dhaka. And we are learning our lessons the hard way. The sad part is that it is costing lives. It is hard to convince oneself about the logic of almost 70 percent of the country's RT-PCR testing facilities being based in the Dhaka division. Surprisingly, out of a total of 128 RT-PCR facilities, essential for accurate diagnosis of Covid-19, only 39 are serving the remaining seven divisions of Bangladesh, with Chattogram accounting for 10 percent of them. This a very worrying situation indeed given that that the focal point of the pandemic has surged in other districts and towns particularly the bordering areas.

Such an anomalous situation came to light with the initial attack of the virus early last year. It is quite apparent that, in spite of the tremendous investment in the health sector, with hundreds of health centres sprouting up in the nooks and corners of the country, the essential facilities were lacking when it came to the crunch. Thus, the districts and towns were crying for both human resources and equipment with the onset of the pandemic. The disparity in the number of ICU beds and emergency care facilities, along with the shortage of trained nurses and doctors, between Dhaka and other districts and divisional towns became very shamefully stark. Such disparities also exist in oxygen supply. Reportedly, almost 50 percent of the nearly 11,000 oxygen cylinders in the country is available in Dhaka and Chattogram. Very few hospitals in the country have central oxygen supply facilities.

We believe that quick and extensive testing is a sine qua non for preventing the spread of the virus. Without proper testing, identifying, isolating and treating patients would not be effective. Thus, testing facilities have to be expanded urgently. Side by side, other healthcare facilities should be procured and added to the district and divisional hospitals. After all, keeping the outlying areas inadequately served can never make Dhaka safe or secure.

All this should have happened months ago given the unpredictability and quick spread of the virus. It is time to hold those officials accountable who failed to carry out the orders of the PM given in June 2020 to construct more ICU beds all over the country as well as set up high-flow oxygen support in public hospitals. Their inaction has left the country gasping for breath literally.