Children fight measles in ICU while family battles mounting hospital bills
The situation reflects a broader pressure on families as measles cases rise in Bangladesh, with ICU shortages and high private treatment costs forcing many to move between hospitals in search of care.
Highlights
- Treatment burden grows as pvt hospital bills cross several lakh taka
- PICU bed crisis forces families to shift between hospitals
- Middle income families forced to rely on borrowed support
- Experts call for emergency use of private hospital ICUs
Inside a private hospital in Dhaka, Shahadat Hossain Saddam, a small businessman, waits outside an ICU where his five-and-a-half-year-old son is fighting measles complications.
In another ward of the same hospital, his four-and-a-half-year-old daughter is also receiving treatment for the same infection.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
What began as a simple illness has turned into a prolonged medical crisis for the family, now stretched between intensive care needs and rising hospital bills.
The situation reflects a broader pressure on families as measles cases rise in Bangladesh, with ICU shortages and high private treatment costs forcing many to move between hospitals in search of care.
Saddam said both his children initially developed cough and fever shortly after Eid-ul-Fitr, which he first assumed was a common cold.
As I did not get an ICU bed at Central Hospital, I rushed to various government and private hospitals for a bed. I could not find one anywhere….
"At first, my son had a cough. I thought it was a normal cold. Then the fever started," he said.
The children were first admitted to Central Hospital in Dhaka, improved slightly, and returned home.
However, their condition soon worsened again, and both were later found to have measles.
The daughter's fever returned first, followed again by the son, eventually requiring hospital readmission.
Saddam said the situation became critical when both children needed hospital care at the same time.
The crisis of paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) beds has further increased their suffering.
"As I did not get an ICU bed at Central Hospital, I rushed to various government and private hospitals for a bed. I could not find one anywhere. Later, with great difficulty, a bed was arranged at Universal Medical College Hospital," he said.
His son has been in the PICU since 4 May. The daughter is being treated in a ward.
By 13 May, the ICU bill alone had reached Tk4,60,000. He said earlier treatment at Central Hospital cost nearly Tk1.5 lakh, while daily expenses for the daughter's care range between Tk8,000 and Tk10,000.
Saddam, who runs a small stationery shop in Nilkhet, said the business has now closed as he focuses on his children's treatment.
"Friends and relatives are helping me. I am only trying to save my children," he said.
Oxygen support and mounting bills
In Chattogram, another family is facing a similar struggle as a young girl with measles complications is now also suffering from pneumonia.
Eight-month-old Sabrina Meherin Saiba is receiving treatment at a private hospital, where she is under constant oxygen support.
Her father, Salim Uddin Raju, said the illness began around two weeks ago with high fever and cough, followed by rashes.
"She had a fever of 102 to 103 degrees. Later, rashes started appearing all over her body," he said.
Initially treated in Pekua, Cox's Bazar, she was later shifted to Chattogram after her condition did not improve. Doctors diagnosed pneumonia alongside measles complications, requiring continuous oxygen support.
Raju said his daughter is unable to eat properly and is being fed liquid food through a tube. "If the oxygen is removed even for a short time, she struggles to breathe," he said.
Treatment costs have added further strain. The hospital cabin costs about Tk6,000 per day, while total expenses have already reached around Tk70,000 to Tk80,000. One week's bill is still due at the hospital.
Raju, who works as an Ansar member, said he is relying on relatives and friends to continue treatment. "I have not thought about the expenses, only about saving my daughter," he said.
ICU shortage and rising costs raise concern
Public health expert Dr M Mushtuq Husain said the shortage of ICU beds is forcing families to rely on expensive private treatment.
He suggested that private hospital ICUs could be temporarily utilised under government arrangement with compensation.
"If an average of 7-8 children die every day, it should be considered an emergency situation. If a health emergency is declared, it becomes legally easier to implement necessary steps," he added.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services, 61,700 patients were admitted with measles and related symptoms between 15 March and 14 May.
So far this year, at least 74 children have died from confirmed measles infections, while 377 others died with similar symptoms.
