Atikul Islam has been suffering from 104 degree Fahrenheit for two days. His father, Iftekharul Islam, first took him Mugda General Hospital. But the hospital said, they don’t treat dengue patients. Later, Iftekharul took his ailing son to Sir Salimullah Medical College and admitted Atikul to the hospital.
Like Mugda medical college, the top government hospitals in Dhaka city are yet to get ready to treat dengue which has been rising alarmingly in the capital.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital (SMCH) have been struggling to tackle Covid-19 patients.
Apart from providing medical facilities to the overwhelming number of Covid patients, the two major public hospitals in the city are conducting coronavirus tests and inoculating people.
Iftekharul Islam said, “First I took my son at Mugda General Hospital. They said, he (Atikul Islam) caught dengue fever. But, they denied to give medical support and advised to go Dhaka Medical College Hospital. I took him there which the staffs said that the hospital doesn’t treat dengue patients. They said to bring him Mitford hospital and I did so.”
The DMCH director Brigadier General Nazmul Haque said, the treatment of dengue patients have been snapped as the coronavirus infection skyrocketed in recent weeks.
“The hospital has been dedicated to Covid-19 patients. If anyone is infected in dengue apart from coronavirus, we are giving the medical backup accordingly. There is couple of patients who are infected in both viruses.”
Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital also took similar moves to facilitate the Covid-19 medical response including treating patients, testing and vaccinating the folks.
Director of the hospital doctor AKM Mujibur Rahman said, “Suhrawardy hospital has been turned into a corona dedicated unit. So, we don’t admit any dengue patient here.”
The Mugda hospital authority said, they will take preparation for dengue treatment if government asks.
“Treatment of dengue doesn’t require taking preparations. It needs only adding beds and appointing staffs. This is possible to manage within short time,” said Ashim Kumar Nath, director of Mugda hospital.
However, being a Covid dedicated hospital Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) decided to treat dengue patients.
“BSMMU is a corona dedicated hospital. But, as the dengue is spreading amid the rise of coronavirus, we have installed separate dengue cell inside the Medicine and Pediatrics department,” the hospital’s director Brigadier General Doctor Md. Nazrul Islam told The Report.
Aside from BSMMU, the Mitford hospital is also fully prepared to treat dengue patients. Authorities said, it took the highest preparations as it is a non-Covid hospital.
“We have the all-out preparation. We started admitting dengue patients since July 29. A total of 109 patients have been hospitalized so far. This is not a big figure, but we have the preparations to admit patients if it doubles or triples,” said Brigadier General Kazi Rashid Un Nabi while talking to The Report.
The health department said, six hospitals have been turned into dengue dedicated unit.
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Professor Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam said, “As the coronavirus infection has been soaring, many hospitals don’t want to treat dengue patients. However, if the situation worsens further, the hospitals will take necessary steps.”
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