After two days of fever, Lal Mia went to the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital fearing that he had caught dengue. But the doctor at the emergency department only gave him paracetamol and some saline before sending him home, reports bdnews24.com.
His family had urged him to seek medical treatment for dengue, Lal Mia, a hawker in his fifties, said on Sunday. He expected the doctor to order a dengue test. The doctor did not, so he headed back home to Shekhertek.
Nasreen Begum brought her 15-year-old son, who has been running a fever for three days, to the hospital. After examining him, the doctor instructed him to take a dengue test and come back, she said.
Another patient, Ismail, 30, said he was diagnosed with dengue three days ago and was receiving treatment at home. He came to the hospital as his fever did not subside and he had a swollen stomach that was causing him pain. The doctor admitted him immediately.
Like other hospitals in Dhaka, Suhrawardy Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the capital, has been experiencing a rush of patients with fever. The large number of incoming patients is causing a long wait to see doctors in the emergency department. There is a long queue for medical tests as well.
Patients and their families find the long delays difficult. "I saw the doctor an hour after receiving the ticket. He wrote me a prescription asking me to take a dengue test and another blood test. Then I stood in line for one and a half hours to deposit the money required for the tests. There was a long queue at the pathology department too.
Finally, when I reached the counter at 01:00 pm, they said they would draw my blood for the test at 02:30 pm," said Nuruzzaman, a transport worker coming from Mirpur for treatment of fever.
He said the pathology staff only drew blood for the dengue test after he waited another one and a half hours and asked him to come on Sunday for the blood test. The hospital staff said they would give the dengue test result on Sunday, he said.
As his test result came out negative for dengue, Nuruzzaman said he felt relieved. He said he had been terrified of catching dengue for several days.
Asked about the difficulties patients face in the hospital, Director Khalilur Rahman said people are rushing to hospitals the moment they catch a fever fearing dengue.
"At least 50 to 60 per cent of the patients do not need to be admitted. We advise them to stay home."
