800-bed DNCC hospital designated for dengue treatment

FE Team | Published: July 13, 2023 23:45:55

The Directorate General of Health Services has designated the 800-bed DNCC Hospital in Mohakhali as a clinic for the treatment of dengue patients, reports bdnews24.com.
The announcement was part of several measures announced by the DGHS on Thursday to control the soaring caseload of the mosquito-borne disease.
Dengue patients are already being admitted to the hospital and 42 were occupying beds there as of Thursday afternoon, said the hospital's director Col AKM Johirul Hossain Khan.
"We were admitting dengue patients before this, but we have started doing it officially now," he said.
"As dengue patients are admitted, we will try to administer the same care they would get at other government hospitals. We have doctors, nurses, and all the necessary logistical elements. We will provide treatment according to the dengue guidelines."
Aside from a COVID corner, the rest of the hospital will focus on admitting and treating dengue patients, Col Johirul said.
"We will convert the beds. At this time the target is for 500 beds to be used for dengue. It may be increased to 800 in the future. The ICU has ventilator support for COVID patients, but if necessary we can shift dengue patients there as well. We have two ICU units and will increase the number if necessary."
The DNCC Dedicated COVID Hospital in Mohakhali was launched in 2020 to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. It had an isolation centre of 1,054 beds. It has 212 ICU beds as well.
It was the hospital caring for the largest number of COVID patients at one time. In April 2021, it was converted to a 500-bed hospital by the DNCC.
Last year, as dengue cases rose, it was opened to dengue patients.
The total number of hospitalisations from dengue this year stand at 16,143, according to the latest data. The death toll has hit 88.
The government also cut the cost of dengue tests at public hospitals from Tk 100 to Tk 50, opened 'dengue corners' at public hospitals and dedicated dengue units at medical colleges and larger hospitals.