SOS from hospitals: Heat, outage and rising patients choking services
In addition to patients, doctors and staffers are also facing health risks while on duty due to excessive heat, as cooling systems such as air conditioners and electric fans remain inoperative for long hours due to increased load-shedding
The ongoing heatwave, coupled with long load-shedding hours, has intensified pressure on the country's hospitals, resulting in disruptions to medical services amid a surge of patients with heat-related complications.
Stakeholders say that in addition to patients, doctors and staffers are also facing health risks while on duty due to excessive heat, as cooling systems such as air conditioners and electric fans remain inoperative for long hours due to increased load-shedding.
Although operating theatres (OTs) are running with generators in most hospitals, other activities are hampered by load-shedding. Additionally, IPS (instant power supply) units cannot be adequately charged in most hospitals.
Amid the ongoing heatwave, the pressure on patients suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea has increased at the Savar Upazila Health Complex.
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Among the affected patients, the number of children and elderly patients is high. About 1,400-1,500 patients are being treated daily in the outdoor section of the hospital. The 50-bed hospital has been compelled to admit more patients than it can accommodate.
The upazila health and family planning officer wrote a letter to the rural electricity office on 28 April, requesting a separate connection for uninterrupted power supply to the hospital.
According to the letter, because of the long power outage, the OT and laboratory cannot be run properly while the administrative work is hampered.
According to the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh, the electricity demand across the country was 16,100 MW at 2:00pm yesterday (29 April) when power generation was 12,753 MW, and load-shedding was 3,196 MW.
Chuadanga has been grappling with a severe heatwave for 20 consecutive days.
Yesterday (29 April), at 3:00pm, the temperature in the district soared to 43 degrees Celsius, marking the highest recorded temperature in the last ten years.
As the mercury rises, hospitals in Chuadanga are experiencing an increase in patient admissions, compounded by frequent load-shedding.
Yesterday, around 80 patients were admitted to the 50-bed Upazila Health Complex in Alamdanga, Chuadanga. Patients were being treated on the hospital floor and balcony due to the overcrowded conditions. Additionally, around 600 patients receive treatment daily at the hospital's outdoor facility.
Dr Sharmin Akhter, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer at the Upazila Health Complex in Alamdanga, Chuadanga, told The Business Standard, "Today (Monday), our hospital had electricity for only about four hours, from 8:30am to 2:30pm. Consequently, we were unable to conduct various tests, including ultrasonography, as the related devices cannot be operated with IPS.
"Patients seeking treatment are facing difficulties. Moreover, since the IPS does not cover the entire hospital, patients visiting doctors or admitted are facing additional sufferings due to the heat.
"As the temperature rises, so does the frequency of load shedding, which has worsened over the last three to four days. Both patients and doctors are suffering from the heat. Some nights, there is no electricity throughout the night."
At the Dhamrai Upazila Complex, there is an increased influx of patients with fever, cough, diarrhoea, and heat stroke. However, prolonged load-shedding has resulted in the IPS unit not being adequately charged, leading to disruptions in both outdoor and indoor medical services.
Currently, the 50-bed hospital is accommodating 80 admitted patients and attending to 1,100 patients in the outdoor section.
Dr Noor Riffat Ara, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer of the hospital, said, "Doctors sometimes have to attend to patients using charger lights. The hospital is overcrowded with patients, and when there is no light or fan, it takes longer to attend to patients. Patients are becoming agitated, making it difficult to manage.
"Last night (Saturday), our hospital had no electricity throughout the night. Despite contacting the electricity office, we were unable to find a solution. I am now more concerned about the well-being of our doctors."
Dr ATM Nuruzzaman, acting director of Dinajpur M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital, said, "Around 900 patients are currently admitted to our 500-bed hospital. However, we are facing some challenges with load shedding. Generator support is available for very urgent operations, but it is not feasible to provide generator support to all operation theatres in the hospital."
Meanwhile, operations at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases were halted for two days due to the breakdown of the air conditioning system in the ICU and issues with the supply of oxygen to the operation theatre due to the intense heat. However, these issues were resolved yesterday, and the hospital authorities have confirmed that operations will resume as normal starting this morning.
[TBS correspondents Noman Mahmud from Savar and Khorshed Alam from Bogura contributed to this report]
