As a woman tested positive for Covid-19 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Khulna, her family began the hunt to find a bed for her at the district's dedicated corona hospital.
However, the reply from Khulna Corona Dedicated Hospital was curt -- "not a single bed left, you have to wait for a Covid patient undergoing treatment here to die".
Though the authorities recently increased the number of beds in the hospital's general ward, and intensive care unit (ICU) and high dependency unit (HDU), Khulna Corona Dedicated Hospital is scrambling for beds amid a sudden surge in Covid cases in the district.
A reality check by UNB on Monday revealed that four Covid-19 patients died on Saturday while two others succumbed to coronavirus in a span of 40 minutes on Friday.
Those who died on Saturday were identified as Aminur Rahman Molla, 80, of Kalia in Narail district, Nurul Islam, 75, of Sharankhola in Bagerhat district, Mizanur Akon, 45, of Morelganj in Bagerhat, and Rehena Begum, 61, of Khulna city.
The hospital authorities are literally struggling to deal with the rising cases of Covid as the situation is worsening with each passing day.
Dr Suhash Ranjan Haldar, a spokesperson for the hospital, said that Aminur Rahman was admitted to the hospital on May 31 and breathed his last on June 5.