Overcrowded hospitals in the capital are struggling to provide healthcare services as the number of dengue patients keeps rising fast, physicians and officials said.
As the dengue situation is deteriorating, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has cancelled leave of its officials ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
They also fear that the country's healthcare system would face severe crisis if the situation goes on unabatedly.
To cope with the growing pressure of the people infected with the deadly mosquito-borne disease, the hospital authorities, in most cases, were seen accommodating them in other wards, passages to the wards and even on the stairs.
The FE correspondent saw the scenario while visiting several hospitals in the capital on Tuesday.
The official figure showed that some 1,335 more people were admitted to hospitals in the last 24 hours till 8:00 am on Tuesday, raising the overall tally of dengue patients to new high of 15369.
Even the doctors and visitors were seen struggling to reach their respected patients in the wards at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) as patients crammed beds, floors, stairs and everywhere.
Talking to the FE, DMCH assistant director (administration) Nasir Uddin said they kept receiving dengue patients even though the hospital had already been overcrowded.
He said some 221 dengue patients were admitted in the last 24 hours until this (Tuesday) morning and the flow of dengue patients kept rising.
"The pressure is too heavy that our physicians, nurses and staff don't get enough time to have foods. But we tried our best," he said.
Currently, a total of 679 dengue patients are undergoing treatment at DMCH having 2,300 beds.
The situation was almost the same at Sir Salimullah Medical College (SSMC), Mugda Medical College Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College (SSMC), Holy Family Red Crescent Hospital, and Kurmitola General Hospital.
Deputy Director (medical) of Holy Family Red Crescent Hospital Dr. Swapan Kumar Barman said the flow of dengue patients has increased remarkably this month, putting pressure on them to accommodate them.
He said they dealt with around 900 dengue patients so far this July. Currently, 220 people diagnosed with the viral fever are undergoing treatment at the hospital.
"It creates extra pressure on them as the number of patients keeps rising," he said.
A long queue of people fearing to get infected with the virus was also found in front of the physicians' rooms in various hospitals and clinics. But their wait prolonged for hours due to delayed arrival of doctors who were busy with other hospitals dealing with dengue patients.
Abdur Rahim, who came to Ibn Sina Hospital at Malibagh to get confirmed whether his daughter is infected with dengue virus, said he was supposed to reach the hospital at 8:00 pm.
"It is 10:00 pm, but the doctor has not come yet and the assistant of the physician requests me to come here at 12:00 pm," he said.
When contacted with the assistant, he said the doctor was busy in other clinic dealing with an increased number of dengue patients.
"The situation is almost the same in other hospitals and clinics. Dengue outbreak makes the medicine expert busier," he added.
When contacted, DGHS director (disease control unit) Prof Dr Sania Tahmina said the number of dengue patients increased sixfold in the last one month.
She said the directorate was closely monitoring the overall situation and kept sending necessary kits to the public hospitals to diagnose the deadly viral fever.
"I know it's a challenge for the hospitals which relentlessly are providing treatment to the people despite many limitations," she added.
According to the health emergency operations centre and control room under the DGHS, a total of 13,182 people diagnosed with dengue were admitted to hospitals so far in July.
Talking to the FE, medicine expert Prof Fakhrul Alam said people affected with various diseases come to the hospitals for treatment. But the way dengue patients are coming, it will be difficult for the hospitals to provide the facility to other patients.
"If the situation remains unchanged, the whole healthcare system will be at risk," he added.
On the day, two people, including the wife of a deputy secretary under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, died of dengue in Dhaka.
The deputy secretary's wife was identified as Farzana Hossain (45), a teacher who was undergoing treatment at medicine ward of DMCH, died around 2:00 am, hospital sources said.
She was the wife of Dr. Nurul Amin.
Md Liton (25), a resident of Wari in the city, died around 10:15 am while receiving treatment at DMCH.
BSS adds: Against the backdrop of the dengue outbreak throughout the country, the Cabinet Division has urged the government officials and employees not to leave the capital during the Eid vacation.
Following a review meeting on prevention of dengue, tackling the flood situation and resisting rumours at the Cabinet Division room on Tuesday, Cabinet Division Secretary (coordination and reform) Sheikh Mujibur Rahman disclosed this to journalists.
The government is discouraging the government employees to celebrate the Eid festival outside their work stations, said the official, adding that the government officials and employees have been asked to keep clean their respective residences and workplaces to check the breeding of the Aedes mosquito which is responsible for dengue fever.
Referring to the Eid holiday cancellation of the Health Department officials and employees, Mujibur Rahman said the physicians, who are taking training, have been asked to join their respective healthcare centres quitting their training in view of the crisis physicians required for dengue treatment.
