Piara Begum, a 38-year-old woman, had been taken to three hospitals in a day in a futile search for an ICU bed as her Covid infection worsened. Finally, she perished inside an ambulance gasping for breath.  

“Piara has been suffering from fever and cold for the last several days and she showed all symptoms of Covid. On Friday, her condition deteriorated and we took her to Sylhet North East Medical College and Hospital first. But getting no ICU bed here we took her to ParkView Medical College and Hospital where the situation was the same,” said M Mujibur Rahman, a relative of the woman.

“Later we took Piara to Al Haramain Hospital but we found no bed. As were taking her to another hospital she breathed her last in the ambulance that was carrying her,” he said.

Piara’s tragic death reflects the Covid patients’ grim struggle to get an ICU bed when they need it most.

Read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 178 more deaths, 6,885 new cases

All hospitals in Sylhet have got fully occupied raising a health service scare for the authorities.

As the number of patients with severe conditions increased, panicked family members were seen rushing from one hospital to another in search of available ICU beds.

The death rate in Sylhet has increased due to the ICU bed crisis.

The health authorities, wishing not to be named, said there is no scope for the ICUs to remain vacant as the beds available are fewer than the demand. Many people have been kept waiting for an ICU bed and an ICU bed become available when a patient dies or recovers from the virus.

Sylhet division logged as many as 343 fresh Covid cases in 24 hours on Saturday. So far, 48,452 people have been infected with Covid-19 in this district with a 32.64 % infection rate.

Besides, 11 more Covid-related deaths have been recorded in Sylhet division during the 24- hour period, officials said.

Read: 8,873 general, 565 ICU beds available for Covid patients

Of the total deaths, ten died in Sylhet and one in Sunamganj district, raising the death toll from the virus in the division to 883.

Dr Himangshu Lal Roy, director (health-Sylhet division), said 477 people have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 36,172.

Currently, 540 people are undergoing treatment with Covid symptoms in Corona hospitals of the division, he said.

A resident of Abdullahpur in Osmaninagar upazila of the district.