Three Dhaka hospitals getting ready for dengue patients, says minister

Health Minister Zahid Maleque says the government is working to prepare three public hospitals to cope with the pressure of dengue patients, with the number of victims rising.

The three hospitals are Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, Sheikh Russel Gastroliver Institute and Mugda Medical College Hospital.

“We’ve already instructed the hospitals’ authorities to get the hospitals ready,” said the minister at a seminar on the dengue menace at the Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital in Dhaka on Thursday.

 “There are 1,000 beds in the burn institute. The dengue patients will be shifted to the three hospitals, if our hospitals fail to deal with the situation.”

The health minister returned home from Malaysia on Wednesday amid criticism for travelling abroad while the dengue outbreak hits the country.

He said the government has already taken initiatives to import dengue test kits and reagents for pathology laboratory.

Maleque also called for the immediate plan to remove fears of spreading dengue outside Dhaka when thousands of people will travel home to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with their loved ones.