ZCZC
BSS-04
MALEQUE-DENGUE-EID
Countrywide hospitals ready to deal dengue patients in Eid holidays: Health
Minister
DHAKA, Aug 10, 2019 (BSS)- The government has prepared hospitals across
the country to manage patients with dengue fever, Health Minister Zahid
Maleque said.
He said they have already allocated Taka 10 lakh for each district
hospital and Taka two lakh for each upazila hospital to buy anything they
need in order to locally managing patients.
“We have trained 2,000 doctors. Our medicine specialists helped us with
that. We have prepared a protocol. It has been distributed everywhere,
including in private hospitals. Trained doctors have been sent to districts
and upazilas,” he told BSS on Thursday in an interview at his Secretariat
office.
“We hope that there will be no problem. Even then, any problem they
(district and upazila hospitals) face, they will be able to directly contact
us. We’ll always be in office, even on Eid day,” he said.
The mosquito-borne viral disease could spread in districts and upazilas
with people leaving Dhaka to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha with their dear and near
ones.
“We have ordered the upazila hospitals to make a separate dengue corner. I
have visited some district hospitals and found that about 90 percent patients
in those hospitals travelled back from Dhaka,” the health minister said.
“We have also prepared four hospitals in Dhaka for any sudden spike–
Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, Sheikh Russell Digestive
Unit, new expanded site of the NITOR and Shaheed Suhrawardhy Hospital,” he
said.
The burns unit opened from Friday while the other three will be functional
from Saturday. I hope those will not be needed but still we are prepared.”
Talking about the measures to tackle the disease, the minister said, “We
have opened a hotline-16263 also.”
He explained, this year mosquitoes are breeding 12 times more than before.
“Our mandate is to ensure medical care for the patients and we are doing
that.”
“All of our hospitals are overloaded. Still they’ve managed to treat
thousands of extra patients during this outbreak. Our doctors, nurses, and
staff are all working. Nobody is getting any holidays.” He said they had been
no crisis from the beginning due to the government’s preparation.
“We have arranged everything from testing kits to intra-venous saline. We
even made dengue tests free in government hospitals, and capped the price to
Taka 500 for private hospitals. We have imported 800,000 dengue testing kits.
We still have 200,000 in stock after supplying kits across Bangladesh. Kits
are coming in every day.”
He also thanked the Prime Minister for her support, adding: “The Premier
was always in touch from London. She gave us instructions. She directed us to
give free treatment. She also instructed capping testing prices at private
hospitals. We followed her instructions.”
There is no specific treatment for dengue or severe dengue, but according
to the World Health Organisation or WHO, early detection and access to proper
medical care lowers fatality rates below one percent.
“We don’t expect a single death. Many patients died due to late arrival to
the hospitals. Those who come for treatment at the beginning and follow
doctors instruction get well,” the minister said.
Dengue prevention and control depends on effective vector control measures
against the carrier of the disease, the Aedes mosquito.
The health minister urged people to be aware of the disease and take
preventive measures that include sleeping under mosquito nets.
According to WHO mosquito expert for the Southeast Asia region, the Aedes
mosquito does not sit on the wall. It hides in a dark corner such as under
the bed, table, chair, or behind the curtain or hanging clothes.
The expert also suggested cleaning all pots, buckets, tyres or anything
where clean water can stay to prevent breeding.
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