Bangladesh has been experiencing a widespread transmission of Covid-19 for the last several weeks. The country has once again recorded its highest daily coronavirus death toll as well as the highest number of single-day cases on Monday. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 247 people died and 15,192 new cases of Coronavirus infection were reported in the country on Monday.
With the number of infections and deaths from Covid-19 getting higher, inadequacy of ICU beds at both public and private hospitals has become a serious concern. We do not have enough ventilators and ICU beds to treat the soaring number of coronavirus patients. It is alarming to note that most of the dedicated Covid hospitals in Dhaka are struggling to cope with the steady stream of Covid-19 patients.
There is a huge gap between
demand and supply in terms
of intensive care facilities
It is worth mentioning that the pressure has mounted in Dhaka hospitals due to a lack of ICU facilities in district hospitals across the country. Reportedly, there are 16 government hospitals in the capital dedicated to Covid patients. Three of these hospitals do not have any ICUs. Seven of the remaining 13 hospitals had no ICU bed empty as of Saturday. In the remaining six hospitals, only 40 ICU beds were available on Saturday.
Experts are of the opinion that inadequate intensive care facilities across the country remain a major concern in treating Covid-19 patients with pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. If they get infected, a large portion of them will need intensive care and ventilation.
There is a huge gap between demand and supply in terms of intensive care facilities. ICUs in most of private hospitals are not up to the mark for a lack of necessary equipment and skilled manpower. Hence, the government should devise immediate measures to increase intensive care facilities across the country and set up specialised hospitals with adequate ICU beds to treat coronavirus patients.