In Khulna, a scramble for Covid hospital beds

June 08, 2021, 01:45 PM
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UNB News
Publish- June 08, 2021, 01:45 PM

In Khulna, a scramble for Covid hospital beds

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.

Also read: Bangladesh’s Covid death toll nears 11,000 as cases surge

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.

Meanwhile, the number of infection rates has been seeing a sharp rise over the past few days. On June 4, health authorities recorded a 29 percent infection rate in the district.

Vice-Chancellor of Khulna Medical College, Dr Mohammad Mehedi Newaz, said that 49 people were found infected with the virus on June 5 after testing 182 samples in one day. "Of them, 39 are from Khulna district, nine from Bagerhat and one from Barishal district."

A day before, on June 4, the hospital authorities found 110 people infected with Covid-19 after testing 376 samples, he said.

According to hospital sources, there are 20 ICU beds, 10 HDU beds and 70 beds in the red zone and yellow zone.

On May 30, the hospital was converted into a 100-bed hospital and since then, the authorities have been experiencing a rise in the number of Covid-19 patients.

Also read: COVID-19 continues to disrupt essential health services in 90pc of countries: WHO

Director of Khulna Division Health Services, Dr Rasheda Sultana, said a total of 35,742 people have been found infected with Covid-19 in Khulna division and 666 people died till June 5.

However, 31,753 people have recovered from Covid so far, he added.