Dengue menace Dhaka hospitals crowded with referred patients One more dies in Barishal

Dengue patients referred by hospitals in the outlying districts were surging in Dhaka hospitals before Eid, indicating the rise in Dengue patients across the country.

Meanwhile, a minor girl died of dengue in Barishal, taking the number of deaths reportedly from the viral disease to 84 while the official figure stood at 29.

Many hospitals in the capital, including Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Mugda Medical College Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital and Mitford Hospital witnessed increased number of referred patients on Friday and Saturday, officials said.

A record number of dengue patients were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Saturday.

‘The hospitals received a good number of dengue patients from the outlying districts which suggest that the hospitals outside the capital were offering limited services ahead of Eid-ul-Azha to be held on Monday,’ said DMCH director Brig Gen AKM Nasir Uddin.

‘Last night we received 18 referred dengue patients in half an hour,’ he said on Saturday afternoon.

The DMCH admitted 253 new dengue patients in the past 24 hours, which was a record high number of new dengue patients hospitalised in a day in the history of the hospital, he said.

On Saturday, the total hospitalised dengue patient’s numbered at 848, which was also a record high number of patients taking treatment in a single day, the director added.

‘We are receiving an increased number of referred patients as Eid is nearing,’ Nasir said.

‘We have taken all-out preparation to treat dengue patients, but hospitals in the outlying districts should not refer all their patients to Dhaka hospitals,’ he told New Age.

On Saturday, Mugda Medical College Hospital received 113 new dengue patients as the three-day Eid vacation on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Azha begins today.

The hospital director Amin Uddin told New Age that patients from Tangail, Munshiganj and even Kushtia were referred to the hospital on Saturday.

A total of 553 dengue patients were under treatment at the hospital on Saturday, he confirmed.

Officials of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital and Mitford Hospital also echoed similar concern.

Health minister Zahid Maleque during a visit at DMCH on Saturday told reporters that the Directorate General of Health Services was prepared to provide treatment to the patients during Eid.

He said the hospitals were busy providing the required services to the dengue patients.

DMCH extended its dengue ward to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burnt and Plastic Surgery to accommodate more dengue patients.

About 300 beds were prepared for dengue patients at the under-developed institute.

Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital also extended its facilities for dengue patients so that they are able to tackle possible surge of patients during the vacation.

Today, a separate ward for dengue patients would be opened.

In its dengue report on Saturday, DGHS showed in the past 24 hours, ending at 8:00am Saturday, at least 2,176 new dengue patients were hospitalised across the country.

The number of dengue patients was also increasing in the districts as 1,111 new dengue patients were admitted to hospitals in the districts and 1,065 in the capital.

On Saturday, at least 9,420 dengue patients were under treatment at hospitals including 5,258 in the capital and 4,162 in the districts.

So far, according to the reports, 38,844 dengue patients were hospitalised this year, including 20,383 in the 10 days of August alone.

Dengue claimed the lives of 29 people, according the government report, but unofficial reports said the death figures rose to at least 84, including the death of a minor girl in Barishal on Saturday.

New Age correspondent in Barishal reports: Rushra, 10, a student of class IV at a school in Dhaka, suffering from dengue infection and died at Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital around 8:00am on Saturday.

Bakir Hossain, director SBMCH, said Rushra, with her family members, reached Razapur of Jhalakathi on Thursday from Dhaka to celebrate Eid.

After her parents suspected that she was infected with dengue, Rushra was admitted and diagnosed at SBMCH on Friday evening in a critical condition and died there Saturday morning, he said.

The government has already cancelled all types of leave and holidays for those involved in health services and discouraged all public servants to leave the capital in the wake of dengue outbreak across the country.

 However, tens of thousands of people belonging to all walks of life were leaving the city to celebrate the religious festival with their near and dear ones in remote villages and districts, with the high risk of dengue this time, said officials.

Cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam in a Facebook message asked all concerned to take precautions against dengue fever while leaving the city as many would remain outside the capital during the public holidays.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net