Critically ill COVID-19 patients need respiratory support for survival but there is no ventilator in any other government or private hospital in Faridpur, a district of 20 lakh people.

Ganesh Kumar Agarwala, a resident medical officer of Faridpur General Hospital, said now there is no ventilator facility in the 115-bed hospital.

Dr Saifur Rahman, director of Faridpur Medical College Hospital, said the ICU unit of the hospital was launched five years ago with 16 ventilators.

“Following the outbreak of coronavirus in the country, we’ve checked the ventilators and found all of them out of order,” he said.

ASM Jahangir Chowdhury, President of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), Faridpur, said there is no ventilator in any private and government hospital in the district.

Faridpur Diabetic Medical College Hospital, Faridpur Heart Foundation, Faridpur Dr Zahed Memorial Child Hospital and Aroggyo Sadan have no ventilator facility, he said.

Faridpur Civil Surgeon Siddiqur Rahman said a meeting was held early this month deciding that the ventilators at the Faridpur Medical College and Hospital would be made operational.

He also expressed doubt whether it would be possible to repair those as a case was filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission over irregularities in procuring ICU equipment for FMCH.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh saw the highest number of deaths from coronavirus on Friday as 15 more people died from the virus infection in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll in the country to 75.

Besides, 266 people tested positive for coronavirus during the period, taking the number of such cases in the country to 1838.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque came up with the disclosure joining the daily health bulletin of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).