A hunt is on now for residential hotels as alternatives as a bid for setting up field hospitals to cope with rising coronavirus cases failed for lack of suitable spaces, health authorities said.
The out-of-the-box move of the government comes as a latest spike in Covid transmission filled hospitals to the brim with patients and the Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) couldn't find suitable places for makeshift hospitals.
Despite staggered lockdowns holding people home to contain the spread of the pandemic disease, its transmission continues to be at peak. On Wednesday, the government's health authority reported 13,817 fresh cases with 241 deaths.
As the empty hospital beds for treating the virus patients are getting squeezed very quickly amid fast-growing positive cases, the ministry of health and family welfare asked the health directorate to consider the option of residential hotels turning hospitals.
Hotels largely give a vacant look, not only in Bangladesh but also the world over, as the pandemic cut a swath through tourism industry and the economy at large.
Sources at the ministry concerned said the hotels will be used as temporary hospitals for treating people having mild complications of the viral disease.
When contacted, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Zahid Maleque said they were trying hard to make field hospitals as many as possible as the existing Covid-dedicated hospitals are struggling to take in new patients.
"We have too many patients with very little space in the hospitals. Over 80 per cent of the hospital beds and 90 per cent of the ICU beds are occupied by coronavirus patients," he said to portray a grim situation.
The fast-rising positive cases prompted the government to make field hospitals but finding such a place is a huge challenge, the minister said.
"So, we have decided to use residential hotels as alternatives to treat patients having light-to-mild coronavirus complications. We will deploy doctors and nurses there. We will also arrange medicines and oxygen facilities there," Mr Maleque said.
"I think this could be a good option as hospitals are almost full," he adds.
According to DGHS data, there are 16,478 hospital beds for corona patients across the country but around 12,000 of the beds are occupied by the patients.
On the other hand, only 169 out of 1,326 ICUs remained empty as of 8:00am on August 4, 2021, the data showed.
Talking to the FE correspondent, DGHS director (hospitals/clinics) Dr Farid Hossain Miah said their teams had already visited several residential hotels in the city in this connection.
"But I am yet to receive their reports. If it is found viable, we will go for it," he said.
About field hospitals, he said they had already confirmed two places -Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) convention centre and Bangladesh Shooting Club.
The DGHS spokesman said they will initially start operation of the field hospital at the BSMMU convention centre with 600 beds and it would expand to 1,000 while another 200 beds will be installed at the shooting club.
The pandemic situation in Bangladesh has deteriorated since July last, with 241 deaths and 13,817 new cases reported in the 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
With the new numbers, Bangladesh's death tally hit 21,638 while the caseload reached 1309,910. With the growing number of the positive cases, the tally of active cases rose to 147,115. Active cases mean those who are yet to recover from the viral disease.
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