Mitford Hospital faces bed shortage as dengue cases surge

Hundreds of patients have been admitted to Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital with fever. Many have set up makeshift beds near stairways and balconies due to the scarcity of hospital beds.

Brig Gen Kazi Rashid-un-Nabi, director of the hospital, said that most of the patients are checking in with fever. Those in need of medical attention are being admitted. Many are fit to go back home after primary treatment but are unwilling to leave the hospital, which means that the administration is forced to admit them, reports bdnews24.com.

Rashid-un-Nabi said that 1,360 patients have been admitted to the 900-bed hospital. Among them, 307 are dengue patients. In the past 24 hours, 109 patients have checked in. A total of 3,248 patients have been admitted this year, of whom 27 have died.

The authorities are trying to handle this huge surge of patients with limited manpower and doctors, he said.

Alongside dengue patients, nearly a 1,000 other types of patients are also being treated at the hospital. Long queues were seen in the medical wards and emergency department.

Assistant Prof Md Jabed said that an average of 12 general surgeries are performed every day at Mitford and a total of 50 surgeries occur in total across all departments. Even though dengue patients are a priority at this time, the medical services in other departments are still being managed as usual.

The hospital director said that, apart from specialists, 356 doctors are working at the hospital. There are 703 nurses. The total workforce amounts to 1,379 individuals, including the third and fourth-grade staff.

Rashid-un-Nabi said that the authorities are making every effort to provide treatment to everyone despite the challenges. However, they have been unable to manage beds for everyone. Even the vacant spaces on the floor have filled up.

Ward Master Billal Hossen said that children suffering from fever are admitted to the sixth-floor of the main building. However, the space has become so overcrowded that it is not even possible to sweep the floor. Currently, medical services are being provided by only changing bedsheets.

DENGUE COORDINATION CELL

The Swadhinata Chikitshak Parishad have decided to set up a dengue coordination cell at the hospital, said Jabed, organisational secretary of the organisation.

The cell will begin work on Aug 14, he said. In the pursuit of speeding up dengue treatment, similar cells have already been established at Mugda and Suhrawardy hospitals. Each dengue coordination cell has five doctors and three nurses.