Ctg Medical College to convert Covid unit into dengue ward as situation worsens

Chattogram Medical College Hospital has decided to use its "Covid ward" to accommodate dengue patients as the situation there has become dire recently.

In the first 13 days of July, 778 dengue patients were hospitalised in Chattogram, while four died, according to the Chattogram civil surgeon's office.

The Chattogram Medical College authority has informed the higher authorities about their decision to convert the Covid ward into "Dengue ward", said sources at the hospital.

Currently, dengue patients are being treated in five wards of Chattogram Medical College Hospital – three of the medicine department, and two of the child health department.

Currently, dengue patients are kept in a corner of these wards alongside the regular patients. They are directed to stay inside the mosquito nets, but that does not happen all the time. So the general patients are at risk due their proximity to the dengue patients, said people at the hospital.

Brigadier General Shamim Ahsan, director of Chattogram Medical College, told TBS, "Currently only a couple of patients are admitted in the hospital's Covid unit. These patients can be admitted to Chittagong General Hospital as before. By doing this, we can empty the Covid unit to treat the dengue patients separately there."

Sheikh Fazle Rabbi, supervisor of Chattogram General Hospital, said, "Since the number of Covid patients is low at present, they can be kept in the General Hospital. But we do not have treatment facilities here for Covid patients who need dialysis, which the Chattogram Medical College has. Therefore, arrangements should be made to shift critical patients to that hospital if necessary."

According to the Chattogram civil surgeon's office, 48 more dengue patients were identified in the district in the last 24 hours till yesterday morning, taking the number of dengue patients there to 1,213 this year.

So far, 13 people have died from dengue, seven of whom were children, in Chattogram this year.

Currently, 289 patients are receiving treatment in different hospitals of the district. Among them, 62 were in Chattogram Medical College Hospital, 19 in Chattogram General Hospital, and 208 patients in other hospitals.

449 more dengue patients hospitalised

At least 449 dengue patients were hospitalised across the country – 184 in Dhaka city and 265 outside it – in the last 24 hours till Friday morning.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services, many hospitals did not send their lists of dengue patients as Friday was the weekly holiday. The number of dengue patients will be adjusted on Saturday.

With the new cases, the total number of dengue patients this year rose to 17,831. Among them 11,941 were in Dhaka city, and 5,890 were from areas outside Dhaka.

The death toll from dengue stands at 93.

The Directorate General of Health Services' report said, dengue has spread in all districts except Chuadanga.

Some 4,220 dengue patients are still undergoing treatment in different hospitals across the country, while a total of 13,518 dengue patients have been released from the hospitals so far.