I cannot turn the whole country into a hospital: Health minister

In the wake of the rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country, Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday said he could not turn the whole country into a hospital.

While visiting Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University's (BSMMU) convention centre-1, he told journalists he could not get adequate spaces to set up hospitals in every place.

Zahid said, "Only increasing the number of beds in hospitals will not work. It is essential to recruit enough manpower to support these facilities."

He said, "Yesterday (Friday), the higher authorities at the health ministry surveyed places throughout the capital to find spots to set up field hospitals. In these circumstances, we have decided to turn BSMMU's convention centre into a 1,000-bed field hospital initially. Later, we will add 200 beds here."

"I believe that the hospital built here will be the best dedicated Covid-19 treatment facility in the country. Being a five-star standard building, this convention centre has all kinds of facilities that favour hospitalisation."

"The only requirement now is to ensure a dedicated oxygen supply system here and we are working on that," added the minister.

He said there are plans to set up more than 400 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in the field hospital and over 400 ICU equivalent step down units (SDUs) will also be set up.

The rest of the beds will have adequate medical oxygen supplies attached to them, the minister added.

Stating that the pressure of Covid-19 patients has increased all over the country, the health minister said the patients in districts are now coming to Dhaka, straining the health care system here.

Due to the increase in coronavirus patients in all districts, the health ministry has given instructions to construct new dedicated coronavirus hospitals and increase Covid-19 treatment facilities.