Pressure of patients on Dhaka COVID hospitals eases slightly

The pressure on the hospitals treating coronavirus patients in Dhaka has slightly eased as the lockdown measures appear to have tamed the second wave of infections to some extent.

The number of patients occupying general beds in the hospitals dropped below 2,500 after rising to as high as 3,795 on Apr 15.

The Intensive Care Units, or ICUs, however, was still under pressure with 433 patients. The number was 250 a month ago, but rose to 620 in the beginning of the third week in April.

Data from the Directorate General of Health Services or DGHS showed the number of patents at the hospitals on Apr 28 was higher than that on Mar 28, but raising the number of beds helped eased the pressure.

The government stopped COVID-19 treatment in some hospitals after the number of hospitalised patients dropped in September last year.

After the second wave began in mid-March this year with record surges in coronavirus cases and deaths, the government reopened the COVID units and raised the number of general and ICU beds.

In early April, the situation worsened to such a level that families had to rush coronavirus patients from one hospital to another after failing to secure a bed.

Even deaths were reported due to ICU beds not being available in critical moments.

As much as 88 percent of the general beds were occupied while 93 percent of the ICU beds were filled up on Apr 7.

After one week, when Bangladesh entered into a stricter lockdown on Apr 14, 88 percent of the general beds and 98 percent of the general beds were occupied.

‘Surma’ breaks into tears after the death of her brother Babul from COVID-19 at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Tuesday, Apr 27, 2021. Photo: Mahmud Zaman Ovi

Another week later on Apr 21, the rate of COVID patients at general beds was 64 percent and at ICU beds 83 percent.

On Apr 28, Wednesday, 44 percent of the general beds and 57 percent of the ICUs were occupied.

Dr Mushtuq Husain, who advises the government’s disease control agency IEDCR, sees no reason people should let their guard down just yet.

Rather, he said, authorities must focus on ways to bring the number of infections to zero.

 

“We must prepare the government and private hospitals keeping in mind that a third wave of coronavirus may hit us.” 

Dr AM Shamim, managing director at Labaid Hospital, said the pressure was so high that he stopped taking phone calls fearing people were going to ask him for beds.

The hospital had only eight patients in its COVD-19 unit in the first week of March but the number rose to 126 in the second week of April. 

Two patients wait to be admitted to the DNCC COVID-19 Dedicated Hospital in Mohakhali on Thursday, April 22, 2021. Photo: Mahmud Zaman Ovi

“I didn’t get calls requesting beds in the past five days. It seems the lockdown worked well.”

Md Esam Ebne Yousuf Siddique, chief administrative officer at Square Hospital, said the number of COVID patients at the private facility dropped around 25 percent in 10 days.

“The patients may not be able to travel to Dhaka due to the lockdown. People may be taking care at home instead of coming to the hospital. Also, the rate of infection has dropped.”

 

People were still coming to the government hospitals. Brig Gen Nazmul Haque, the director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said the pressure on general beds eased but the ICU unit was still filled up.       

The authorities have raised the number of general beds for COVID patients at government hospitals in the city to 5,539 from 3,329 a month ago.

The number of ICU beds also increased to 759 from 291.

Dr Mushtuq said the authorities should focus on increasing capability to treat the patients along with raising the number of beds.

“We need to seriously believe that Bangladesh may face the situation India is in now.

“We need to produce more oxygen to avert a crisis. And most of all, we must not neglect the practices that prevent infection,” he said.

 

Health Minister Zahid Maleque said the drop in the number of patients is a sign that obeying the health rules yield results.

Urging all not to let their guard down, he said at a programme, “It won’t take time for infections to rise if we don’t follow the health rules. You’ve seen what is happening in India. We don’t want a similar situation here.”