Amid a steady rise in Covid-19 infections in Bangladesh and neighbouring countries, a number of private hospitals have yet to establish dedicated zones for patients even though they are handling bulk testing.
Government hospitals, too, remain largely unprepared to isolate and treat patients testing positive for the virus.
At present, over 90 per cent of all Covid-19 tests in the country are being conducted at private hospitals, as many public hospitals have yet to restore full testing capacity.
According to data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), only three public medical colleges-Cox's Bazar, Mymensingh, and Rajshahi-conducted Covid tests in the first 15 days of June.
Chief Operating Officer of Square Hospitals Ltd Md. Esam Ebne Yousuf Siddique acknowledged that while no separate Covid zone has been set up yet, preparations are in place to establish one swiftly if necessary.
A similar situation exists at Popular Medical College Hospital. Md. Abul Khair, Manager of Customer Service, Corporate & External Affairs, said, "We have not established any dedicated Covid unit so far but we're ready to do so if required. However, we continue testing patients who arrive with symptoms or request testing."
In contrast, United Medical College Hospitals Ltd has already implemented dedicated measures. Ariful Hoque, Business Development and Public Relations Manager, explained that every patient undergoes an initial assessment for Covid symptoms.
"If found positive, the patient is immediately isolated in a designated area," he said, adding that dedicated Covid wards, cabins, and ICUs have been prepared for such cases. To minimize cross-infection, doctors visit Covid patients directly in the isolation areas, rather than allowing them to visit outpatient clinics. "We also maintain a sufficient stock of Covid testing kits," he said.
Testing at many public hospitals has been stalled for months due to idle equipment that now requires recalibration and a shortage of trained personnel.
Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital in Dhaka recently requested the DGHS to supply test kits and necessary equipment. The hospital authorities informed the DGHS that their testing machines have been inactive for a prolonged period and that they lack trained technicians to resume operations.
Last Thursday, the DGHS distributed test kits to six major hospitals in Dhaka and Chattogram. Directors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Mugda Medical College Hospital, and Chattogram Medical College Hospital had announced plans to resume testing from Sunday. However, as of Monday, the DGHS data indicated that none have restarted testing as planned.
Meanwhile, Kurmitola General Hospital and DNCC Dedicated Covid-19 Hospital in Dhaka continue testing without interruption, although recent data from these facilities have yet to be updated in DGHS records.
To address the capacity gaps, the Directorate General of Medical Education has ordered 11 public medical colleges outside Dhaka to reactivate their RT-PCR testing facilities.
Five of the medial colleges-Rajshahi, Cox's Bazar, Gopalganj, Mymensingh, and Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College in Bogura-have already resumed operations. The remaining six-Rangpur, Sylhet, Chattogram, Faridpur, Barishal, and Khulna-are expected to follow suits shortly.
Complicating the situation further is the recent termination of the Covid-19 Emergency Response and Pandemic Preparedness Project, which had played a key role in managing the pandemic response.
The World Bank-funded programme had employed 1,004 personnel, including technicians and medical officers, who were instrumental in testing and treating Covid patients.
The project ended last December, and in May, DGHS instructed these staff to cease their duties. Many of them are now staging demonstrations in front of the DGHS office, demanding payment of salary arrears and permanent job placements.
These developments come amid a noticeable uptick in Covid-19 cases. According to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), 25 new cases were detected in the last 24 hours, while one death raised the total Covid-related fatalities to five since June 5-the date of the first Covid death reported after a prolonged lull.
In response to the rising infection rate, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education has directed all educational institutions to involve both teachers and students in awareness campaigns on Covid-19 and dengue prevention.
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