Dengue fever: Mugda hospital overwhelmed by patients

Mugda Hospital in Dhaka was handling 1,300 patients as of Sunday noon.

Mugda Hospital in Dhaka was handling 1,300 patients as of Sunday noon, and since the hospital’s capacity is overextended, the authorities conceded that they can only offer fifty percent of the usual services.

The lone special dengue unit is currently accommodating 600 dengue patients at the 500-bed hospital, which is also treating 700 patients suffering from other diseases -- putting tremendous pressure on the staffers.

Sources said that the hospital authority sought more 18 doctors and 50 nurses to tackle the situation. Besides, there is also a shortage of medicines including saline.

Following the issue, the hospital director Dr Niatuzzaman said the number of hospitalized patients is now two and a half times higher than normal.

“The hospital has 286 cleaners. The Ministry of Finance has ordered to terminate 114 of them. But the hospital authority sent the reply to the ministry requesting to keep them in this dengue situation,” Dr Niatuzzaman added.