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Covid-19 takes toll on general patients too


Published : 10 May 2020 09:03 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 12:45 AM

Amid the growing coronavirus outbreak, general patients are being deprived of treatment with doctors allegedly not attending them despite the request from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

If the doctors continue to do, more fatalities caused by the diseases other than the coronavirus are highly likely and country’s healthcare system may collapse, experts warned.

People depriving of treatment shared their ordeal with the Bangladesh Post.
One of them, journalist Abdullah Al Mamun visited Dhaka Medical College Hospital on April 9.

“I waited for several hours at the hospital before being admitted with coronavirus symptoms. After competing formalities, I was to taken specialized unit for coronavirus treatment,” he said.

Mamun said he asked the on-duty nurses to provide him a bed and was told to wait more. “After the two patients in the corona unit died, the nurses advised me to occupy one of the vacated beds,” he added.

As the beds were not clean with sheet on it, he asked the nurses to provide him with a clean on but he was again told to wait for another day to get one.

“Considering the situation, I compelled to return to my home,” Mamun told this correspondent over phone.
Mamun, however, tested negative for coronavirus and now follows doctors’ prescription.

Another journalist Aslam Rahman of Bengali Daily Bhorer Kagoj was denied treatment at the private Islami Bank Hospital and referred to the DMCH instantly.

Relatives took him to the DMCH where he waited for long time to receive treatment. But he eventually died there without getting proper treatment.

An additional secretary, Goutam Aich Sarker, died from kidney disease at the Kurmitola General Hospital on Saturday.
The senior civil servant had no symptoms of Covid-19, according to her daughter, Sushmita Aich, she, too, a government physician.
Sushmita claimed her father died after a dozen hospitals refused to treat him due to the coronavirus fear.

On April 6,Sumon Chakma, a Dhaka University student who survived cancer and died after doctors refused to treat him several hospital including DMCH and Mugda General Hospital since the virus broke out in the country.

Talking to the Bangladesh Post, Dr Nirupam Das, the chief administrator of the Bangladesh Doctors Foundation (BDF) said, “The case of Dr Sushmita’s father was unexpected and unfortunate and we expressed condolence.”

He advocate for developing a crisis-time system to treat patients amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“First we should separate the patients whenever they are brought to the hospitals. After testing Covid-19, next course of treatment may be finalized.”

Nirupam said they have been vocal on the issues since the virus began spreading.
Earlier in March, PM Hasina warned the doctors who refused attending patients due to coronavirus that her government would consider whether doctors can continue their jobs if they do so.

If situations demand, foreign doctors and nurses would be flown to the country, she said before lamenting that why would a patient die after being referred to hospital to hospital.