Patuakhali hospital needs urgent equipment and manpower
We are shocked to find that the residents of Patuakhali and Barguna—around 28 lakh people—do not have access to crucial healthcare to treat critical Covid-19 patients and have to go all the way to Barisal for treatment. A recent report in this daily has revealed that there are no such services available in the 250-bed Patuakhali Medical College and Hospital. The ICU beds at this hospital are remaining idle without the supply of other necessary equipment. Not only that—the hospital also doesn't have any RT-PCR labs for Covid-19 testing, nor do they have a central oxygen supply. Weeks into the new surge of Covid-19 infections caused by the Delta variant, it is appalling that the only public hospital in the area would be so ill-equipped to deal with this crisis.
It is unfathomable why five ICU beds were kept unpacked in the Patuakhali hospital's ICU unit for months, and even after they were brought out, they were of no use because of the dearth of other accessory equipment needed for the ICU beds to function. The report also found that two ventilators sent by the health directorate a year ago have been gathering dust because there is no oxygen supply. Why this pathetic state of affairs? Why haven't the hospital's higher authorities done anything to get the ICU unit functioning at a time when people are dying because of a lack of ICU beds?
The hospital is also acutely short-staffed. Its authorities have written to the Health Services Division under the health and family welfare ministry seeking urgent appointment of 79 trained employees at the ICU unit of the 250-bed hospital in Patuakhali, but the request is yet to be fulfilled.
According to official data, 3,558 people tested positive for Covid-19, 2,560 recovered and 74 died of the disease in Patuakhali on Sunday. Against this backdrop, the Patuakhali hospital and the related government departments must join hands and work together to deal with the Covid-19 treatment crisis in Patuakhali. RT-PCR labs for testing Covid-19 patients have to be installed for early detection of the deadly virus. Five ICU beds and two ventilators are grossly inadequate for 2.8 million people. The number of ICU beds and ventilators have to be increased too, along with the building of a central oxygen supply system. Quick supply of both medical equipment and skilled healthcare professionals are needed to save the lives of people from Patuakhali and nearby districts.
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