Inflow of dengue patients overwhelms Dhaka hospitals

Third-grader Taskin was recently released from Mugda Medical College Hospital after recovering from dengue. On Thursday, the little boy was back in the hospital. This time accompanying his mother Taskina Begum, who now is getting dengue treatment at the hospital's female ward.

Distraught and dejected, Taskina said she had already spent over Tk25,000 for dengue treatment.

Many in her area got dengue, she said, introducing the patient in the next bed as also being from her neighbourhood.

Taskina was the lucky one with a bed. Hundreds of other dengue patients like her now crowd Mugda Hospital, some being treated across the floors beyond the ward and in front of the staircase.

Walking further into the hospital on Thursday afternoon revealed that the pressure of dengue patients was even more dire.

In the children's ward on the eighth floor, crowds of patients and relatives on makeshift beds covered the floor, leaving little room for one to move around in.

The 60-bed children's ward had 250 patients admitted.

Priyanka Akhtar from Jatrabari was among the crowd with her 10-month-old son Abdullah. They had been getting treatment on the hospital floor since Monday.

Priyanka said her son had caught fever on the first day of this month. Three days later, Abdullah's fever subsided. Then suddenly, fever returned accompanied with vomit. Later, a test found Abdullah infected with dengue.

Pressure of Hospital staff

Nurses are struggling to serve patients in the dengue ward.

A nurse at Mugda Hospital told The Business Standard that five nurses work in each of the three shifts in the ward. "It is difficult for five people to check the blood pressure of 150-200 patients and fix saline."

She said there are three or four attendants with each patient, making it difficult to move. "Some patients do not use mosquito nets. They don't listen even after being asked repeatedly."

Dr Niatuzzaman, acting director of the hospital, told TBS that 1,185 dengue patients have been admitted in the 500-bed hospital. Around 10% of dengue patients in the hospital are from different districts.

"Now we have doctors and nurses on rotation from other departments to treat dengue patients," he said.

"The health directorate has given us some doctors and nurses. If the number of patients increases, two more wards will be opened," Dr Niatuzzaman said.

Dr Khalilur Rahman, director of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, told TBS the institution has dedicated a dengue ward for male and female patients and a corner for children.

"So far all patients are in beds, none on the floor. Only the doctors of the medicine department are treating dengue patients," he mentioned.

However, if the number of patients increases, doctors from other departments will also provide services, the doctor added.

Brigadier General Nazmul Haque, director of Dhaka Medical College, told TBS that the hospital had seen a maximum of 58 dengue patients being admitted recently.

"Patient stress is increasing. However, the pressure is expected to be reduced as DNCC Hospital is declared dengue dedicated."

Col AKM Johirul Hossain Khan, director of DNCC Dedicated Covid-19 Hospital said, currently they have 42 dengue patients admitted in the hospital.

"Initially we will open 500 beds for dengue patients in the 800-bed hospital. We have a covid ICU where dengue patients will be treated if necessary," he added.

Dengue situation

Five more patients died and 1,239 more were hospitalised in the 24 hours till Thursday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The tally of deaths from mosquito-borne fever rose to 93.

Of the new patients, 756 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and 483 outside the capital.

A total of 4,069 dengue patients, including 2,708 in Dhaka, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country, shows the DGHS data.

So far, the DGHS has recorded 17,382 dengue cases and 13,220 recoveries.